What Will You Learn on This Page?
On this page of the research guide, you will learn:
Once you've engaged with all the content on this page, you should:
Using Search Hedges in PubMed
Search hedges, sometimes called search filters, are designed to narrow your results based on specific criteria, such as publication type. They are designed by experts to be as comprehensive as possible.
Watch the video below to learn how to use a search hedge, specifically the CADTH hedge which limits to systematic reviews and other evidence syntheses.
You can find the full hedge to copy and paste into your PubMed search in the next box on this page. Don't forget to acknowledge and cite any hedges you use in your searches!
Common Search Hedges & How to Find Others
Below is the CADTH search hedge to limit to systematic reviews and other evidence syntheses in PubMed. To use this, as with most search hedges, follow these steps:
- Do a search for the full text of the hedge in the PubMed Advanced Search query box.
- Use AND to combine the results of the search hedge with the search or searches that reflect the concepts in your research question.
You can copy and paste the text below to execute the first step above.
"systematic"[filter] OR "meta-analysis"[pt] OR "meta-analysis as topic"[mh] OR "meta analy*"[tw] OR metanaly*[tw] OR metaanaly*[tw] OR "met analy*"[tw] OR "integrative research"[tiab] OR "integrative review*"[tiab] OR "integrative overview*"[tiab] OR "research integration*"[tiab] OR "research overview*"[tiab] OR "collaborative review*"[tiab] OR "collaborative overview*"[tiab] OR "systematic review"[pt] OR "systematic reviews as topic"[mh] OR "systematic review*"[tiab] OR "technology assessment*"[tiab] OR "technology overview*"[tiab] OR "technology appraisal*"[tiab] OR "Technology Assessment, Biomedical"[mh] OR HTA[tiab] OR HTAs[tiab] OR "comparative efficacy"[tiab] OR "comparative effectiveness"[tiab] OR "outcomes research"[tiab] OR "indirect comparison*"[tiab] OR "Bayesian comparison"[tiab] OR (("indirect treatment"[tiab] OR "mixed-treatment"[tiab]) AND comparison*[tiab]) OR Embase*[tiab] OR Cinahl*[tiab] OR "systematic overview*"[tiab] OR "methodological overview*"[tiab] OR "methodologic overview*"[tiab] OR "methodological review*"[tiab] OR "methodologic review*"[tiab] OR "quantitative review*"[tiab] OR "quantitative overview*"[tiab] OR "quantitative synthes*"[tiab] OR "pooled analy*"[tiab] OR Cochrane[tiab] OR Medline[tiab] OR Pubmed[tiab] OR Medlars[tiab] OR handsearch*[tiab] OR "hand search*"[tiab] OR "meta-regression*"[tiab] OR metaregression*[tiab] OR "data synthes*"[tiab] OR "data extraction"[tiab] OR "data abstraction*"[tiab] OR "mantel haenszel"[tiab] OR peto[tiab] OR "der-simonian"[tiab] OR dersimonian[tiab] OR "fixed effect*"[tiab] OR "multiple treatment comparison"[tiab] OR "mixed treatment meta-analys*"[tiab] OR "umbrella review*"[tiab] OR (("multiple paramet*"[tiab]) AND ("evidence synthesis"[tiab])) OR (("multi-paramet*"[tiab]) AND ("evidence synthesis"[tiab])) OR ((multiparameter*[tiab]) AND ("evidence synthesis"[tiab])) OR "Cochrane Database Syst Rev"[Journal] OR "health technology assessment winchester, england"[Journal] OR "Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep)"[Journal] OR "Evid Rep Technol Assess (Summ)"[Journal] OR "Int J Technol Assess Health Care"[Journal] OR "GMS Health Technol Assess"[Journal] OR "Health Technol Assess (Rockv)"[Journal] OR "Health Technol Assess Rep"[Journal]
- CADTH Systematic Review Search Hedge for PubMedThis link goes directly to this search hedge on the CADTH website.
Sometimes you'll notice you're getting a lot of results on animal research that are creating "noise" in your search, making it hard to pick out relevant human research studies. Because humans are technically animals, asking PubMed to limit to human research is harder than you might expect.
The hedge below is designed to identify research on humans.
To use this hedge:
- Start with a set of results that represents your full search strategy, in which you've used AND to combine all your main concepts. In the image below, that results set is represented by #1.
- In the PubMed Advanced Search query box, combine that search set with the full text of the search hedge below. Because this hedge uses NOT, you won't need to put AND between your search number and the hedge.
Full text of the hedge to use in your search:
NOT ("animals"[MeSH Terms] NOT "humans"[MeSH Terms])
- Cochrane Handbook: 4.S1 Technical Supplement to Chapter 4This is the source for the human research hedge included here.
In future searches, you may need additional search hedges. These are my most-used sources of hedges, although they're certainly not the only place to find them.
- CADTH Search Filters DatabaseSearch filters developed and maintained by CADTH’s Research Information Services Filters Working Group.
- ISSG Search Filter ResourceThe Search Filters Resource aims to provide easy access to published and unpublished search filters. Filters are organized by topic and database, and links are provided to the original publications.
What's Next?
Have you:
Then you're ready to move on to Scheduling Your Research Consultation!
