Cantrell 2022

Appraisal of: Cantrell A, Booth A, Chambers D. A systematic review case study of urgent and emergency care configuration found citation searching of Web of Science and Google Scholar of similar value. 

Reviewer(s): 

Annalena Dunkel
Elke Hausner

Full Reference: 

Cantrell A, Booth A, Chambers D. A systematic review case study of urgent and emergency care configuration found citation searching of Web of Science and Google Scholar of similar value. Health Info Libr J. 2024 Jun;41(2):166-181. doi: 10.1111/hir.12428 

Short description: 

• Citation searching is an essential component of systematic reviews, particularly for identifying studies that may not be captured through traditional subject searches, with Web of Science proving to be more efficient than Google Scholar.

• It is necessary to clarify the purpose of citation searching.

• Citation searches can enhance the interpretation of the review (complementary) or increase the number of included studies (supplementary) depending on the purpose. 

Limitations stated by the author(s): 

1. The featured systematic review topic is located within health services and delivery research and, therefore, may not be representative of clinical topics or those associated with health technology assessment.

2. Pragmatically, this study focuses resources on citation searching for the 12 reconfiguration studies, potentially of most value to the review commissioners, rather than conducting citation searches for all 44 studies included in the review. 

Limitations stated by the reviewer(s): 

This is only a case study with a relatively specific topic, so it may not necessarily be transferable. 

Study Type: 

Single study

Related Chapters: 

Value of using different search approaches

Tags: 

• Citation searching

• Web of Science

• Google Scholar