Search Strategy Guide: Veterinary Medicine
A rigorous, reproducible search query is the cornerstone of any systematic review search strategy or scoping review. In the field of Veterinary Medicine, 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 PubMed & CAB Abstracts and related databases utilizing Veterinary Medicine entities.
1. Structured Search Design & Boolean String Construction
Reproducible literature searching in Veterinary Medicine relies on translating a conceptual framework into precise boolean search operators. By nesting terms inside parentheses, researchers control the logical order of execution. For example, a boolean operators search in PubMed & CAB Abstracts combines synonyms using `OR` and intersects distinct concepts using `AND`. Utilizing truncation research (e.g., using asterisks like `reproducib*keys`) ensures that singular, plural, and spelling variations are captured, preventing publication retrieval omissions.
2. Controlled Vocabularies & Subject Headings
In qualitative and policy-oriented fields like Veterinary Medicine, search strategies must account for fluid terminologies and shifting concepts. Reviewers must adjust search strings to capture historic terms and regional spelling variations matching the Veterinary Medicine framework. Effective database query optimization in these fields requires combining broad free-text sweeps with targeted publisher searches in PubMed & CAB Abstracts to locate scarce historical records.
Before executing the query in PubMed & CAB Abstracts, researchers in Veterinary Medicine 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 Veterinary Medicine 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.
To evaluate query sensitivity in PubMed & CAB Abstracts for Veterinary Medicine, researchers utilize a pre-defined set of 'gold standard' validation articles. Comparing the systematic query's output against this validation set determines if any key studies are missing. This iterative process of search refinement is a core step in the research stages process for different types of research designs, including mixed methods research design, longitudinal research design, and causal research models under Veterinary Medicine guidelines.
Sample Search String Template for Veterinary Medicine
("Veterinary Medicine"[MeSH Terms] OR "veterinary medicine"[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 PubMed & CAB Abstracts. 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 Veterinary Medicine. Ensure that your final constructed query string successfully retrieves these references when executed inside PubMed & CAB Abstracts.
Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
Spencer L James, Degu Abate, Kalkidan Hassen Abate et al. — The Lancet
Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
Theo Vos, Amanuel Alemu Abajobir, Kalkidan Hassen Abate et al. — The Lancet
The species Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus: classifying 2019-nCoV and naming it SARS-CoV-2
Alexander E. Gorbalenya, Susan C. Baker, Ralph S. Baric et al. — Nature Microbiology
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.
