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Acquiring Evidence

Search Filters

Search filters are standardized strategies that help identify higher quality literature within many of the medical databases. They are very useful for narrowing a search to high quality study designs but can also be used for other topics or age groups.

To incorporate a search filter into a search strategy, use AND to combine the final set of subject search with the final set of the filter.

Methodological Search Filters

The Librarians at the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library recommend the following search filters:
 

Database (Platform)

Randomized Controlled
Trials (RCTs) 
Prognostic Studies
CINAHL (EBSCO)

CINAHL_RCT

 
Embase (Ovid)

EMBASE_RCT

EMBASE_PROG
Medline (Ovid)

MEDLINE_RCT

MEDLINE_PROG
PsycInfo (Ovid)

PSYCINFO_RCT

 
PubMed

PUBMED_RCT

PUBMED_PROG
Scopus

SCOPUS_RCT

 
Web of Science WOS_RCT  

Other Filters Sites