Embase (Elsevier) Research Methodology Search Filters and Limits
Updated: May 26
Your search results are only as good as your search. Use a filter to separate the wheat from the chaff!
Be sure you take a look at the blog which gives an overview of search filters/search hedges.
Develop and run the subject content of the search strategy, then add the search filter and combine. Any additional limits, such as language or publication dates, would follow.
More filters will be added as time permits.
Systematic Reviews and related types of reviews (26 May 2023)
'systematic review'/de OR 'systematic review (topic)'/de OR (('comprehensive':ti,ab,kw OR 'integrated':ti,ab,kw OR 'integrative':ti,ab,kw OR 'mapping':ti,ab,kw OR 'methodology':ti,ab,kw OR 'narrative':ti,ab,kw OR 'scoping':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematic':ti,ab,kw) AND ('search':ti,ab,kw OR 'searched':ti,ab,kw OR 'searches':ti,ab,kw OR 'studies':ti,ab,kw) AND ('cinahl':ti,ab,kw OR 'cochrane':ti,ab,kw OR 'embase':ti,ab,kw OR 'psycinfo':ti,ab,kw OR 'pubmed':ti,ab,kw OR 'medline':ti,ab,kw OR 'scopus':ti,ab,kw OR 'web of science':ti,ab,kw OR 'bibliographic review':ti,ab,kw OR 'bibliographic reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'literature review':ti,ab,kw OR 'literature reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'literature search':ti,ab,kw OR 'literature searches':ti,ab,kw OR 'narrative review':ti,ab,kw OR 'narrative reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'qualitative review':ti,ab,kw OR 'qualitative reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'quantitative review':ti,ab,kw OR 'quantitative reviews':ti,ab,kw)) OR 'comprehensive review':ti,ab,kw OR 'comprehensive reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'comprehensive search':ti,ab,kw OR 'comprehensive searches':ti,ab,kw OR 'critical review':ti,ab,kw OR 'critical reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'evidence assessment':ti,ab,kw OR 'evidence review':ti,ab,kw OR 'exploratory review':ti,ab,kw OR 'framework synthesis':ti,ab,kw OR 'Integrated review':ti,ab,kw OR 'integrated reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'integrative review':ti,ab,kw OR 'integrative reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'mapping review':ti,ab,kw OR 'meta-review':ti,ab,kw OR 'meta-synthesis':ti,ab,kw OR 'methodology review':ti,ab,kw OR 'mixed methods review':ti,ab,kw OR 'mixed methods synthesis':ti,ab,kw OR (overview NEAR/4 reviews) OR ('PRISMA':ti,ab,kw AND 'preferred':ti,ab,kw) OR 'PRISMA-P':ti,ab,kw OR 'prognostic review':ti,ab,kw OR 'psychometric review':ti,ab,kw OR 'rapid evidence assessment':ti,ab,kw OR 'rapid literature review':ti,ab,kw OR 'rapid literature search':ti,ab,kw OR 'rapid realist':ti,ab,kw OR 'rapid review':ti,ab,kw OR 'rapid reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'realist review':ti,ab,kw OR 'review of reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'scoping review':ti,ab,kw OR 'scoping reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'scoping study':ti,ab,kw OR 'state of the art review':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematic evidence map':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematic evidence mapping':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematic literature':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematic Medline':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematic PubMed':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematic review':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematic reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematic search':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematic searches':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematical literature review':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematical review':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematical reviews':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematically identified':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematically review':ti,ab,kw OR 'systematically reviewed':ti,ab,kw OR 'umbrella review':ti,ab,kw OR 'umbrella reviews':ti,ab,kw OR '13616137':is OR 'Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews'/jt
Meta-analyses (25 May 2023)
'meta analysis'/de OR 'network meta-analysis'/de OR 'meta analysis (topic)'/de OR 'meta analyses':ti,ab,kw OR 'meta analysis':ti,ab,kw OR 'meta analysis':ti,ab,kw OR 'meta analytic':ti,ab,kw OR 'meta analytical':ti,ab,kw OR 'meta analytics':ti,ab,kw OR 'meta analyze':ti,ab,kw OR 'meta analyzed':ti,ab,kw OR 'meta regression':ti,ab,kw OR 'metaanalyses':ti,ab,kw OR 'metaanalysis':ti,ab,kw OR 'metaanalytic':ti,ab,kw OR 'metaanalyze':ti,ab,kw OR 'metaanalyzed':ti,ab,kw OR 'metaregression':ti,ab,kw OR 'network meta analyses':ti,ab,kw OR 'network meta analysis':ti,ab,kw OR 'indirect treatment comparison':ti,ab,kw OR (('indirect':ti,ab,kw OR 'indirectly':ti,ab,kw OR 'mixed':ti,ab,kw) AND ('treatment':ti,ab,kw OR 'treatments':ti,ab,kw OR 'intervention':ti,ab,kw OR 'interventions':ti,ab,kw OR 'therapeutic':ti,ab,kw OR 'therapeutics':ti,ab,kw) AND ('comparison':ti,ab,kw OR 'comparisons':ti,ab,kw) AND (('Bayesian':ti,ab,kw AND 'statistical':ti,ab,kw) OR 'Bayesian statistics':ti,ab,kw))
Controlled trials (31 May 2022)
'adaptive clinical trial (topic)'/de OR 'adaptive clinical trial'/de OR 'clinical trial (topic)'/de OR 'clinical trial'/de OR 'controlled clinical trial (topic)'/de OR 'controlled clinical trial'/de OR 'double blind procedure'/de OR 'early termination of clinical trial'/de OR 'equivalence trial (topic)'/de OR 'equivalence trial'/de OR 'intention to treat analysis'/de OR 'multicenter study (topic)'/de OR 'multicenter study'/de OR 'non-inferiority trial'/de OR 'phase 1 clinical trial (topic)'/de OR 'phase 1 clinical trial'/de OR 'phase 2 clinical trial (topic)'/de OR 'phase 2 clinical trial'/de OR 'phase 3 clinical trial (topic)'/de OR 'phase 3 clinical trial'/de OR 'phase 4 clinical trial (topic)'/de OR 'phase 4 clinical trial'/de OR 'pragmatic trial'/de OR 'randomized controlled trial (topic)'/de OR 'randomized controlled trial'/de OR 'superiority trial'/de OR 'multicenter study':ti,ab,kw OR 'phase I':ti,ab,kw OR 'phase II':ti,ab,kw OR 'phase III':ti,ab,kw OR 'phase IV':ti,ab,kw OR 'phase 1':ti,ab,kw OR 'phase 2':ti,ab,kw OR 'phase 3':ti,ab,kw OR 'phase 4':ti,ab,kw OR ((randomised OR randomized) NEAR/7 trial*) OR (controlled NEAR/3 trial*) OR (clinical NEAR/2 trial*) OR ((single:ti,ab,kw OR doubl*:ti,ab,kw OR tripl*:ti,ab,kw OR treb*:ti,ab,kw) and (blind*:ti,ab,kw OR mask*:ti,ab,kw)) OR '4 arm':ti,ab,kw OR 'four arm':ti,ab,kw