Godin 2015

Appraisal of: Godin, K.,Stapleton, J.,Kirkpatrick, S. I.,Hanning, R. M.,Leatherdale, S.T. Applying systematic review search methods to the grey literature: a case study examining guidelines forschool-based breakfast programs in Canada. Syst Rev. 2015 Oct 22;4:138.

Reviewer(s): 

Melissa Walter

Carolyn Spry

Full Reference: 

Godin, K.,Stapleton, J.,Kirkpatrick, S. I.,Hanning, R. M.,Leatherdale, S. T. Applying systematic review search methods to the grey literature: a case study examining guidelines for school-  based breakfast programs in Canada. Syst Rev. 2015 Oct 22;4:138.

Short description: 

This article is a case study of grey literature searching methods used in a systematic review of guidelines for Canadian school-based breakfast programs. The authors created and then used a template for recording grey literature search plans and performing the subsequent searching. The authors searched grey literature databases, customized Google searches, and websites, as well as contacting experts to find other relevant publications. There was moderate overlap between the four methods, and the authors concluded that all four were integral in finding relevant publications. Searching key websites was the most effective search method, retrieving 14 out of a total 15 included publications.

Limitations stated by the author(s): 

It is difficult to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of Google searching, since the search engine itself is biased and unpredictable.

Only one author screened the results.

The authors tracked time spent on each method only retrospectively, which means that this information is an estimate.

Excel has some limitations as a software (and since the writing of this paper, a number of more sophisticated SR programs have been developed with, for instance, more sensitive deduplication methods).

Limitations stated by the reviewer(s): 

Although the topic lends itself to the investigation of grey literature search methods, since one would expect the majority of results to be grey literature, it is also specific enough that it is difficult to know whether the results would apply to other topics of study.

The three grey literature databases used by the authors, as well as one of the custom Google searches, either no longer exist in the same form or are no longer being updated. As a result some parts of the study are no longer applicable, although the methods themselves may still be applicable to other topics in which similar searches or databases still exist.

Study Type: 

Single study

Related Chapters: 

Tags: 

• Grey literature

• Search engines

• Documenting