I want to update a review, but I think the original search strategy missed some important references. Can I draft a new search strategy and run it?
A. Strictly speaking, the concept of updating the literature search is to re-run the same search for new publications added to the database. We generally suggest that people start the search at least six months before the end of the last one since there is a time-lag between publication in the journals and in the databases. However, if you believe that the search strategy may not have been as sensitive as it should have been, you may discuss this with us and we can run the search over again from the beginning of the databases. This change in methods should be identified in the “published notes” section and in the “search strategy” section, with appropriate changes and comments throughout the review. Please note that the Back Group’s search strategy has been developed by our librarian who works with this literature all the time. This is why we prefer that review groups use this specific search. It can be found in The Cochrane Library, under the Back Group module (Specialized register) o
