IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v212y2025ics0040162524006310.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How to search for literature in systematic reviews and meta-analyses: A comprehensive step-by-step guide

Author

Listed:
  • Gusenbauer, Michael
  • Gauster, Sebastian P.

Abstract

We introduce a comprehensive guide to improve literature sampling in systematic literature reviews (SLRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) in management and adjacent social science disciplines. Analyzing 404 SLRs and MAs from top-tier management-related journals and the 135 methodological studies on which they relied revealed significant opportunities to improve sampling quality. We found that inadequate guidance and an overreliance on unfounded “best practices” often leads to suboptimal search strategies and incomplete reporting. To improve literature sampling, we have developed a guide that details four sequenced and prioritized scoping, searching, screening, and reporting steps. The guide also includes recommendations for the most suitable literature databases to search with, suggested (AI-enabled) tool support, and two checks to validate the effectiveness of search strategies. We created this guide by adapting the state-of-the-art recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook and PRISMA—the widely acknowledged benchmarks in methodical and reporting guidance—and supplementing them with additional evidence-based methodological insights. By adopting the guide, authors can ensure their sampling is effective and meets the high standards of SLRs and MAs, thereby likely boosting the impact of their review. The guide is applicable to all review types that require comprehensive, transparent, and reproducible sampling, including bibliometric studies and integrative reviews.

Suggested Citation

  • Gusenbauer, Michael & Gauster, Sebastian P., 2025. "How to search for literature in systematic reviews and meta-analyses: A comprehensive step-by-step guide," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:212:y:2025:i:c:s0040162524006310
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123833
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162524006310
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123833?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roza, Marja & Van den Bosch, Frans A.J. & Volberda, Henk W., 2011. "Offshoring strategy: Motives, functions, locations, and governance modes of small, medium-sized and large firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 314-323, June.
    2. Michael Park & Erin Leahey & Russell J. Funk, 2023. "Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time," Nature, Nature, vol. 613(7942), pages 138-144, January.
    3. Shannon Kugley & Anne Wade & James Thomas & Quenby Mahood & Anne‐Marie Klint Jørgensen & Karianne Hammerstrøm & Nila Sathe, 2017. "Searching for studies: a guide to information retrieval for Campbell systematic reviews," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(1), pages 1-73.
    4. Holly Else, 2023. "Abstracts written by ChatGPT fool scientists," Nature, Nature, vol. 613(7944), pages 423-423, January.
    5. Mike Thelwall, 2017. "Avoiding obscure topics and generalising findings produces higher impact research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 110(1), pages 307-320, January.
    6. Sánchez-Gil, Susana & Gorraiz, Juan & Melero-Fuentes, David, 2018. "Reference density trends in the major disciplines," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 42-58.
    7. Mike Thelwall & Kayvan Kousha & Emma Stuart & Meiko Makita & Mahshid Abdoli & Paul Wilson & Jonathan Levitt, 2023. "In which fields are citations indicators of research quality?," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 74(8), pages 941-953, August.
    8. Sascha Kraus & Matthias Breier & Weng Marc Lim & Marina Dabić & Satish Kumar & Dominik Kanbach & Debmalya Mukherjee & Vincenzo Corvello & Juan Piñeiro-Chousa & Eric Liguori & Daniel Palacios-Marqués &, 2022. "Literature reviews as independent studies: guidelines for academic practice," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(8), pages 2577-2595, November.
    9. Corinne Post & Riikka Sarala & Caroline Gatrell & John E. Prescott, 2020. "Advancing Theory with Review Articles," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(2), pages 351-376, March.
    10. Michael Gusenbauer, 2023. "Audit AI search tools now, before they skew research," Nature, Nature, vol. 617(7961), pages 439-439, May.
    11. Michael Gusenbauer, 2019. "Google Scholar to overshadow them all? Comparing the sizes of 12 academic search engines and bibliographic databases," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 118(1), pages 177-214, January.
    12. Neal R. Haddaway & Matthew J. Page & Chris C. Pritchard & Luke A. McGuinness, 2022. "PRISMA2020: An R package and Shiny app for producing PRISMA 2020‐compliant flow diagrams, with interactivity for optimised digital transparency and Open Synthesis," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(2), June.
    13. Janine Huisman & Jeroen Smits, 2017. "Duration and quality of the peer review process: the author’s perspective," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 113(1), pages 633-650, October.
    14. Jana Schellinger & Kerry Sewell & Jamie E Bloss & Tristan Ebron & Carrie Forbes, 2021. "The effect of librarian involvement on the quality of systematic reviews in dental medicine," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-16, September.
    15. Matthew Hutson, 2022. "Could AI help you to write your next paper?," Nature, Nature, vol. 611(7934), pages 192-193, November.
    16. Piers Steel & Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & Herman Aguinis, 2021. "The anatomy of an award-winning meta-analysis: Recommendations for authors, reviewers, and readers of meta-analytic reviews," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(1), pages 23-44, February.
    17. Christian F. Durach & Joakim Kembro & Andreas Wieland, 2017. "A New Paradigm for Systematic Literature Reviews in Supply Chain Management," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 53(4), pages 67-85, October.
    18. Michael Gusenbauer, 2022. "Search where you will find most: Comparing the disciplinary coverage of 56 bibliographic databases," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(5), pages 2683-2745, May.
    19. Tomáš Havránek & T. D. Stanley & Hristos Doucouliagos & Pedro Bom & Jerome Geyer‐Klingeberg & Ichiro Iwasaki & W. Robert Reed & Katja Rost & R. C. M. van Aert, 2020. "Reporting Guidelines For Meta‐Analysis In Economics," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 469-475, July.
    20. Matthew J Page & Joanne E McKenzie & Patrick M Bossuyt & Isabelle Boutron & Tammy C Hoffmann & Cynthia D Mulrow & Larissa Shamseer & Jennifer M Tetzlaff & Elie A Akl & Sue E Brennan & Roger Chou & Jul, 2021. "The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(3), pages 1-15, March.
    21. Valery I. Frants & Jacob Shapiro & Isak Taksa & Vladimir G. Voiskunskii, 1999. "Boolean search: Current state and perspectives," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 50(1), pages 86-95.
    22. Alberto Martín-Martín & Mike Thelwall & Enrique Orduna-Malea & Emilio Delgado López-Cózar, 2021. "Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, Scopus, Dimensions, Web of Science, and OpenCitations’ COCI: a multidisciplinary comparison of coverage via citations," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(1), pages 871-906, January.
    23. Alberto Martín-Martín & Mike Thelwall & Enrique Orduna-Malea & Emilio Delgado López-Cózar, 2021. "Correction to: Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, Scopus, Dimensions, Web of Science, and OpenCitations’ COCI: a multidisciplinary comparison of coverage via citations," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(1), pages 907-908, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ruben Tessmann & Ralf Elbert, 2022. "Multi-sided platforms in competitive B2B networks with varying governmental influence – a taxonomy of Port and Cargo Community System business models," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(2), pages 829-872, June.
    2. Gabriel Alves Vieira & Jacqueline Leta, 2024. "biblioverlap: an R package for document matching across bibliographic datasets," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(7), pages 4513-4527, July.
    3. Christopher Hansen & Holger Steinmetz & Jörn Block, 2022. "How to conduct a meta-analysis in eight steps: a practical guide," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(1), pages 1-19, February.
    4. repec:dar:wpaper:132320 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Delgado-Quirós, Lorena & Ortega, José Luis, 2025. "Citation counts and inclusion of references in seven free-access scholarly databases: A comparative analysis," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1).
    6. Marco Huymajer & Matthias Woegerbauer & Leopold Winkler & Alexandra Mazak-Huemer & Hubert Biedermann, 2022. "An Interdisciplinary Systematic Review on Sustainability in Tunneling—Bibliometrics, Challenges, and Solutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-33, February.
    7. Patrick Ssekitoleko & Shepherd Dhliwayo, 2023. "Elevating South Africa’s Entrepreneurial Activity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-13, August.
    8. Laura García-Fernández & Marta Ortiz-de-Urbina-Criado & María-José García-López, 2024. "Mapping the main research themes in digital human resources," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    9. Tessmann, Ruben & Elbert, Ralf, 2025. "Multi-sided platforms in competitive B2B networks with varying governmental influence – a taxonomy of Port and Cargo Community System business models," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 152445, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    10. Irina Gerasimov & Binita KC & Armin Mehrabian & James Acker & Michael P. McGuire, 2024. "Comparison of datasets citation coverage in Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, Crossref, and DataCite," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(7), pages 3681-3704, July.
    11. Casey Eaton & Amanda Banks & Kristin Weger & Bryan Mesmer & Robert Moreland, 2023. "Understanding perceived influencers on project outcomes and quantifying disciplinary similarities in academic literature," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 460-487, May.
    12. Weishu Liu & Rong Ni & Guangyuan Hu, 2024. "Web of Science Core Collection’s coverage expansion: the forgotten Arts & Humanities Citation Index?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(2), pages 933-955, February.
    13. Sam Arts & Nicola Melluso & Reinhilde Veugelers, 2023. "Beyond Citations: Measuring Novel Scientific Ideas and their Impact in Publication Text," Papers 2309.16437, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2024.
    14. Teddy Lazebnik & Ariel Rosenfeld, 2025. "How lonely or influential is the Lone Wolf? An analysis of individual scholars’ solo-authorship dynamics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 130(5), pages 3053-3069, May.
    15. Michael Gusenbauer, 2022. "Search where you will find most: Comparing the disciplinary coverage of 56 bibliographic databases," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(5), pages 2683-2745, May.
    16. Kayvan Kousha & Mike Thelwall, 2024. "Factors associating with or predicting more cited or higher quality journal articles: An Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST) paper," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 75(3), pages 215-244, March.
    17. Scheuer, Luca Joachim & Thaler, Julia, 2023. "How do dynamic capabilities affect performance? A systematic review of mediators," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 914-931.
    18. Raminta Pranckutė, 2021. "Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus: The Titans of Bibliographic Information in Today’s Academic World," Publications, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-59, March.
    19. Lorena Delgado‐Quirós & Isidro F. Aguillo & Alberto Martín‐Martín & Emilio Delgado López‐Cózar & Enrique Orduña‐Malea & José Luis Ortega, 2024. "Why are these publications missing? Uncovering the reasons behind the exclusion of documents in free‐access scholarly databases," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 75(1), pages 43-58, January.
    20. Ramón A. Feenstra & Emilio Delgado López-Cózar, 2022. "Philosophers’ appraisals of bibliometric indicators and their use in evaluation: from recognition to knee-jerk rejection," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(4), pages 2085-2103, April.
    21. Davila, Jessenia & Duran, Patricio & Gómez-Mejía, Luis & Sanchez-Bueno, Maria J., 2023. "Socioemotional wealth and family firm performance: A meta-analytic integration," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 14(2).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:212:y:2025:i:c:s0040162524006310. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.