About SuRe Info

About SuRe Info

Summarized Research in Information Retrieval for HTA (SuRe Info) provides research-based information relating to the information retrieval aspects of producing systematic reviews and health technology assessments. SuRe Info seeks to help information specialists to stay up-to-date in the latest developments in their field by providing easy access to current methods papers. It supports research-based information retrieval practice.

The SuRe Info project team is:

• Julie Glanville, Independent Consultant in Information Retrieval, UK

• Jaana Isojärvi, Independent information specialist, Finland

• Mick Arber, York Health Economics Consortium, UK

• Charlene Argáez, Canada's Drug Agency, Canada

• Nicole Askin, University of British Columbia, Canada

• Deirdre Beecher, Education.org, Italy

• Jill Boland, University of Derby, UK

• Andrew Booth, ScHARR, University of Sheffield, UK

• Anna Brown, Birmingham Centre for Evidence and Implementation Science, University of Birmingham, UK

• Juliet Brown, NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland, UK

• Sabine Calleja, Ingram School of Nursing, Canada

• Chris Cooper, Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, UK

• Nadia Corp, Keele University, UK

• Steven Duffy, Evidera, UK

• Mark Engelbert, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation 3ie, UK 

• Cecily Gilbert, Centre for Digital Transformation of Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia

• Su Golder, CRD, University of York, UK

• Ingrid Harboe, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway

• Elke Hausner, IQWiG, Germany

• Caroline Higgins, Health Technology Assessment, Ontario Health, Canada

• Amanda Hodgson, Canada's Drug Agency, Canada

  • Jennifer Horton,  Canada

• Corinne Holubowich, Health Technology Assessment, Ontario Health, Canada

• Lydia Jones, Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss G-BA, Germany

• David Kaunelis, Canada's Drug Agency,  Canada

• Vanessa Kitchin, University of British Columbia, Canada

• Carol Lefebvre, Lefebvre Associates Ltd, UK

• Anne Littlewood, York Health Economics Consortium, UK

• Alan Lovell, University of Exeter, UK

• Shae Martinez, American Heart Association, USA

  • Monika Mierzwinski-Urban, Canada

• Paul Miller, York Health Economics Consortium, UK

• Sophie Robinson, University of Exeter, UK

• Lena Sam, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

• Kate Saylor, University of Michigan, USA

  • Melissa Severn, Canada

  • Carolyn Spry, Canada

• Siw Waffenschmidt, IQWiG, Germany

• Melissa Walter, Canada's Drug Agency, Canada

• Ruth Wong, ScHARR, University of Sheffield, UK

  • Hannah Wood, NICE, UK

Past members of the  SuRe Info team include:

• • Dagmara Chojecki, IHE, Canada

  • Carolyn Doree, NHS Blood and Transplant, UK

  • Naila Dracup, University of Leeds, UK

  • Sigrid Droste, IQWiG, Germany

  • Kelly Farrah, CADTH, Canada

  • Nick Halfpenny, OPEN Health Evidence & Access, The Netherlands

  • Ingvild Kirkehei, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway

  • Eleanor Kotas, York Health Economics Consortium, UK

  • Kristin Bakke Lysdahl, University of Oslo, Norway

  • Mariann Mathisen, Sykehuset i Vestvold, Norway

  • Sari Susanna Ormstad,  Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway

  • Naomi Shaw, University of Exeter, UK

  • René Spijker, Cochrane Netherlands, The Netherlands

• Lisa Tjosvold, IHE, Canada

• Kath Wright, CRD, University of York, UK

 Inclusion criteria

Information retrieval methods publications are identified by running topic-specific search strategies in selected relevant databases. Alerts are set up for the prospective identification of publications.

Research publications that fulfil the following criteria will be included in SuRe Info:

• The research question is relevant to information retrieval for HTA and the SuRe Info chapter in which it is to be included.

• The publication provides latest evidence on a specific methodological issue.

• The publication includes research findings of a completed scientific study (including reviews, evidence syntheses and theses).

• The publication describes the scientific methods used in the study.

• The research findings are still valid, i.e. have not been overtaken by technological or database changes.

• The conclusions are supported by the presented results and the results answer the research question.

• The results of the publication are generalizable or usable to other HTA information specialists or transferable to other projects or studies.

Publications fulfilling the SuRe Info inclusion criteria receive a structured abstract along with a brief critical appraisal prepared by one SuRe Info information specialist and checked by another. The key messages from the appraisals are summarized into topic-specific chapters.

SuRe Info chapters will be updated twice a year, by the end of October and the end of March.

If you know about a recent information retrieval methods publication that fulfil our inclusion criteria, and is not already included in SuRe Info, please let us know.

Organisation of SuRe Info

SuRe Info has two sections:

1. Information on general search methods common across all health technologies;

2. Methods to use when searching for specific aspects of health technologies. With the exception of the chapters on Diagnostic accuracy and Qualitative research, this section is based on the domain structure of the HTA Core Model®, an on-going project to standardize the structure of HTA developed by EUnetHTA.

Description of the content

• Within both sections there are chapters summarising the current research evidence.

• Each chapter provides a concise summary of the current research findings concerning a particular information retrieval aspect.

• The references listed at the end of each chapter are linked to structured appraisals of the included references, written by members of the SuRe Info project team. Links are provided to the full text of the publications, where available.

Publications about SuRe Info

• Brown A. SuRe Info: Providing access to current research in information retrieval. HLG Newsletter Autumn/Winter 2023. 

• Lefebvre C, Duffy S. Peer review of searches for studies for health technology assessments, systematic reviews, and other evidence syntheses. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2021: 37(1):E64 

• Isojärvi J, Glanville J. Evidence-based searching for health technology assessment: keeping up to date with SuRe Info. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2021;37(1):e51 

• Isojärvi J, Glanville J. Keeping up to date with information retrieval research: Summarised Research in Information Retrieval for HTA (SuRe Info). Health Libraries Group Newsletter. 2017;34(3).

• Kaunelis D, Glanville J, Isojärvi J, Lefebvre C, Wright K, Chalon PX. Keeping up-to-date with information retrieval research: Summarized Research in Information Retrieval for HTA. In: CHLA/ABSC 2017 Annual Conference. Edmonton, Alberta (Canada); 2017.

• Chalon PX, Ormstad SS, Isojärvi J, Arber M, Droste S, Duffy S, et al. Keeping up to date with information retrieval research: Summarized Research in Information Retrieval for HTA (SuRe Info). In: 14th EAHIL Conference. Rome (Italy): European Association for Health Information Libraries (EAHIL); 2014.

• Ormstad SS, Isojärvi J. Keeping up to date with information retrieval research: Summarized Research in Information Retrieval (SuRe Info). Journal of the European Association for Health Information and Libraries. 2013;9(2):17-9.

• Ormstad SS, Isojärvi J, Chalon PX. IR Reference tool - A tool to summarize and map the evidence base on information retrieval for HTA. Vol 26. Bilbao (Spain): Elsevier; 2012