Structure your systematic review question using the PICO framework and generate a Boolean search string for major databases. Enter your terms, add synonyms with OR, and combine elements with AND.
Fill in each PICO element with your primary term, then click "+ Add Synonym" to add alternative terms (e.g., MeSH terms, abbreviations, alternate spellings). Synonyms within each element are joined with OR; elements are combined with AND. Copy the generated search string into PubMed, Scopus, or Web of Science.
Who is the population of interest? Include conditions, age groups, and settings.
What is the intervention or exposure being studied?
What is the comparison or control? Leave empty if not applicable.
What outcomes are you measuring?
In [Population], what is the effect of [Intervention] on [Outcome]?
Enter terms above to generate a search string.
Paste this string into PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, or CINAHL. Add field tags (e.g., [tiab]) and MeSH terms as needed for your specific database.
PICO is a structured approach to formulating clinical research questions. It stands for Population (who), Intervention (what treatment), Comparison (against what), and Outcome (what result). Well-defined PICO elements make your review question focused and your search strategy efficient.
Not always. Some review types omit the Comparison (e.g., prevalence reviews), use PICOS (adding Study design), or PECO (Exposure instead of Intervention for observational reviews). At minimum, you need Population and either Intervention or Exposure.
Synonyms for each element are combined with OR (broadening the search within that element). Then the PICO elements are combined with AND (narrowing to studies that match all elements). This is standard Boolean logic for systematic review searches.
Yes. Copy the generated string and paste it into PubMed's search box. For best results, also consider adding MeSH terms and field tags (e.g., [tiab] for title/abstract). The tool gives you a solid starting point that you can refine.
Our information specialists can build comprehensive search strategies across multiple databases, with MeSH terms, field codes, and peer-reviewed methodology.