Search Strategy Guide: Economics & Quantitative Finance
A rigorous, reproducible search query is the cornerstone of any systematic review search strategy or scoping review. In the field of Economics & Quantitative Finance, where literature spans multiple indexing networks, constructing a validated query string ensures comprehensive retrieval and minimizes bias. This guide outlines how to optimize your queries inside EconLit, SSRN & RePEc and related databases utilizing Economic Phenonema entities.
1. Structured Search Design & Boolean String Construction
To achieve maximum query sensitivity for Economics & Quantitative Finance studies, literature searches must deploy optimized boolean search operators in structured sequences within EconLit, SSRN & RePEc. A rigorous boolean operators search links overlapping themes using logical OR statements, while narrowing the overall scope with AND operators. Advanced truncation research methodologies recommend truncating word roots (such as `analy*` or `therapy*`) to capture diverse morphology variations, thereby optimizing total citation retrieval.
2. Controlled Vocabularies & Subject Headings
In quantitative social science for Economics & Quantitative Finance, literature reviews depend heavily on a structured PsycINFO search strategy paired with Sociological Abstracts. Reviewers must map keywords to index terms under the Economic Phenonema domain, taking care to translate the query syntax correctly. Each indexing system in EconLit, SSRN & RePEc has a specific search syntax databases structure; adjusting field codes (such as .ti,ab,id) is vital to preventing search failure across relational indexing sites.
Before executing the query in EconLit, SSRN & RePEc, researchers in Economics & Quantitative Finance should structure their concepts using the PICO search strategy (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) or SPIDER framework. This provides a blueprint for a systematic review search strategy or a scoping review search strategy matching Economic Phenonema fields. For audit purposes, it is standard practice to publish a systematic review search strategy table detailing the exact queries, date of execution, and total results retrieved from each database.
Sensitivity testing of a search string for Economics & Quantitative Finance is performed by running the query against a validation set of known, highly relevant papers in EconLit, SSRN & RePEc. This validation step is a critical phase of the research stages process to ensure query coverage. Depending on the different types of research designs selected—whether it is a mixed methods research design, a longitudinal research design, or a study based on causal research—the search string must undergo multiple rounds of iterative refinement to maximize precision.
Sample Search String Template for Economics & Quantitative Finance
("Economics & Quantitative Finance"[MeSH Terms] OR "economics & quantitative finance"[All Fields]) AND
("Reproducibility"[MeSH Terms] OR "reproducibility"[All Fields] OR "repeatability"[All Fields]) AND
("Methods"[MeSH Terms] OR "methodology"[All Fields] OR "standards"[All Fields])Note: Designed for execution in EconLit, SSRN & RePEc. Truncation and field tags can be adjusted depending on the database's specific syntax.3. Search Strategy Validation Set (High-Impact Baseline)
A rigorous systematic review protocol requires validating your search query against a pre-defined set of key baseline publications. The following three highly-cited papers indexed in OpenAlex are verified within the domain of Economics & Quantitative Finance. Ensure that your final constructed query string successfully retrieves these references when executed inside EconLit, SSRN & RePEc.
Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping
Nees Jan van Eck, Ludo Waltman — Scientometrics
On Persistence in Mutual Fund Performance
Mark M. Carhart — The Journal of Finance
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Cristiana Bartolomei, Cecilia Mazzoli, Caterina Morganti — Journal of Physics Conference Series
4. Translating Queries Across Platforms
A search strategy developed for one database must be carefully translated before execution in another. For example, field tags in PubMed (such as [Mesh] or [tw]) will cause syntax errors if pasted directly into Scopus or Web of Science. Use the comparison table below to guide your translation process:
| Feature | PubMed / MEDLINE Syntax | Scopus Syntax | Web of Science Syntax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled Vocabulary | "Term"[Mesh] | INDEXTERM("Term") | N/A (Uses Topic search) |
| Title / Abstract Search | term[tiab] | TITLE-ABS-KEY(term) | TS=(term) |
| Truncation Wildcard | * (replaces word end) | * (any characters) | * (replaces characters) |
Discipline Specs
PRISMA Compliance
The PRISMA 2020 declaration mandates that authors must present full electronic search strategies for all databases searched, including any filters used. This level of transparency is essential for the peer-review and validation process.







