To update your searches, once you have ensured no changes are necessary, we recommend rerunning your saved searches, exporting all the records to RIS files, and then importing those RIS files into Covidence for deduplication. This is our recommended approach to updating searches to retrieve new records only, as well as for removing duplicate records.
If you do this, be sure to follow the instructions provided by Covidence (e.g., download your PRISMA flow diagram before adding the new RIS files to a previous review).
There are different methods that you can use to update your searches, and they are usually database-specific. What you are trying to do is avoid screening the same records all over again.
In Covidence, you can simply import all the records generated by the new/updated searches, and Covidence will remove records that have already been uploaded. If you do this, be sure to follow the instructions provided by Covidence (e.g., download your PRISMA flow diagram before adding the new RIS files to a previous review).
Another method is to restrict records to those entered into the database on or after the date you last ran the search (note: this is NOT the publication date, this is the date the record was added to the database, and this date field is not available in all databases).
This can be done in PubMed, MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), APA PsycInfo (Ovid), CENTRAL (Cochrane Library/Wiley), and Web of Science Core Collection (as well as others), but the entry date is not available as a search field in all databases and it may miss records.
Please note: The field codes are subject to change and we strongly suggest checking the database information, particularly at the beginning of a new year, when indexing changes are more likely to occur. Please also let us know if you identify issues with these codes. This table was last updated April 2, 2024 (Correction: da refers to MeSH Date in Ovid MEDLINE).
Many thanks to those who reach out to let us know when there are issues or corrections needed!
| Database | Platform | Suggested Search Field(s) | Example of a search last run on July 1, 2019 and updated on May 1, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CENTRAL/Trials | Cochrane Library/Wiley | Use "Date" filter |
View search results / Select Trials tab > Under "Filter your results" (left column), enter date range ("Date added to CENTRAL trials database") as custom range 01/07/2019 to 01/05/2023 Note: Use only if necessary; this approach is imperfect and may miss records |
| PubMed (field code info) | - | CRDT OR EDAT OR MHDA |
#x AND ("2019/07/01"[CRDT] : "3000"[CRDT] OR "2019/07/01"[EDAT] : "3000"[EDAT] OR "2019/07/01"[MHDA] : "3000"[MHDA]) (MHDA refers to the date that MeSH are added and may increase duplicates but can identify indexed records previously missed by textword searching) |
| MEDLINE (field code info) | OvidSP |
.dt,ez,da. (Create Date, Entrez date; MeSH date) |
(201907* OR 201908* OR 201909* OR 20191* OR 202*).dt,ez,da. (da refers to the date that MeSH are added and may increase duplicates but can identify indexed records previously missed by textword searching) |
| Embase (field code info) | OvidSP | .dc. |
limit x to dc=20190701-20230501 |
| PsycInfo (field code info) | OvidSP | .up. | limit x to up=20190701-20230501 |
| CINAHL (field code info) | EBSCOhost | (EM yyyymmdd- OR (ZD "in process" AND RD yyyymmdd-)) |
(EM 20190701- OR (ZD "in process" AND RD 20190701-)) |
| Scopus | ORIG-LOAD-DATE AFT | ORIG-LOAD-DATE AFT 20190630 | |
|
Web of Science Core Collection (new Web of Science platform) |
Web of Science | LD |
Select Index Date: 2019-07-01 to 2023-05-01 OR From Advanced Search Query Builder > Query Preview: LD=(2019-07-01/2023-05-01) Note: Use only if necessary; this approach is imperfect and may miss records |
See also: Garner P, Hopewell S, Chandler J, MacLehose H, Akl EA, Beyene J, Chang S, Churchill R, Dearness K, Guyatt G, Lefebvre C, Liles B, Marshall R, Martínez García L, Mavergames C, Nasser M, Qaseem A, Sampson M, Soares-Weiser K, Takwoingi Y, Thabane L, Trivella M, Tugwell P, Welsh E, Wilson EC, Schünemann HJ. When and How to Update Systematic Reviews: Consensus and Checklist. BMJ. 2016;354. 10.1136/bmj.i3507
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