“It has no meaning to me.” How do researchers understand the effectiveness of literature searches? A qualitative analysis and preliminary typology of understandings

Chris Cooper; Ruth Garside; Joanna Varley‐Campbell; Juan Talens‐Bou; Andrew Booth; Nicky Britten

doi:10.1002/jrsm.1426

journal article Jul 01, 2020

“It has no meaning to me.” How do researchers understand the effectiveness of literature searches? A qualitative analysis and preliminary typology of understandings

Chris Cooper

Ruth Garside

Joanna Varley‐Campbell Juan Talens‐Bou Andrew Booth

Nicky Britten

Research Synthesis Methods Vol. 11 No. 5 pp. 627-640 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/jrsm.1426

Abstract

This study aimed to address the question: what does “effectiveness” mean to researchers in the context of literature searching for systematic reviews? We conducted a thematic analysis of responses to an e‐mail survey. Eighty‐nine study authors, whose studies met inclusion in a recent review (2018), were contacted via e‐mail and asked three questions; one directly asking the question: in literature searching, what does effective (or effectiveness in) literature searching mean to you? Thirty‐eight (46%) responses were received from diverse professional groups, including: literature searchers, systematic reviewers, clinicians and researchers. A shared understanding of what effectiveness means was not identified. Instead, five themes were developed from data: (a) effectiveness is described as a metric; (b) effectiveness is a balance between metrics; (c) effectiveness can be categorized by search purpose; (d) effectiveness is an outcome; and, (e) effectiveness is an experimental concept. We propose that these themes constitute a preliminary typology of understandings. No single definition of effectiveness was identified. The proposed typology suggests that different researchers have differing understandings of effectiveness. This could lead to uncertainty as to the aim and the purpose of literature searches and confusion about the outcomes. The typology offers a potential route for further exploration.

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References

Details

Published: Jul 01, 2020
Vol/Issue: 11(5)
Pages: 627-640
License: View

Authors

C

Chris Cooper

Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology University College London London UK

R

Ruth Garside

European Centre for Environment and Human Health University of Exeter Medical School Truro UK

J

Joanna Varley‐Campbell

Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology University College London London UK

J

Juan Talens‐Bou

Independent Researcher UK

A

Andrew Booth

School of Health & Related Research University of Sheffield Sheffield UK

N

Nicky Britten

Institute of Health Research University of Exeter Medical School Truro UK

Cite This Article

Chris Cooper, Ruth Garside, Joanna Varley‐Campbell, et al. (2020). “It has no meaning to me.” How do researchers understand the effectiveness of literature searches? A qualitative analysis and preliminary typology of understandings. Research Synthesis Methods, 11(5), 627-640. https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1426

“It has no meaning to me.” How do researchers understand the effectiveness of literature searches? A qualitative analysis and preliminary typology of understandings

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