So many filters, so little time: the development of a search filter appraisal checklist.
OBJECTIVE
The authors developed a tool to assess the quality of search filters designed to retrieve records for studies with specific research designs (e.g., diagnostic studies).


METHODS
The UK InterTASC Information Specialists' Sub-Group (ISSG), a group of experienced health care information specialists, reviewed the literature to evaluate existing search filter appraisal tools and determined that existing tools were inadequate for their needs. The group held consensus meetings to develop a new filter appraisal tool consisting of a search filter appraisal checklist and a structured abstract. ISSG members tested the final checklist using three published search filters.


RESULTS
The detailed ISSG Search Filter Appraisal Checklist captures relevance criteria and methods used to develop and test search filters. The checklist includes categorical and descriptive responses and is accompanied by a structured abstract that provides a summary of key quality features of a filter.


CONCLUSIONS
The checklist is a comprehensive appraisal tool that can assist health sciences librarians and others in choosing search filters. The checklist reports filter design methods and search performance measures, such as sensitivity and precision. The checklist can also aid filter developers by indicating information on core methods that should be reported to help assess filter suitability. The generalizability of the checklist for non-methods filters remains to be explored.
Glanville
Julie
J
Information Services, York Health Economics Consortium, Level 2, Market Square, University of York, York YO105NH, United Kingdom. jmg1@york.ac.uk
Bayliss
Sue
S
Booth
Andrew
A
Dundar
Yenal
Y
Fernandes
Hasina
H
Fleeman
Nigel David
ND
Foster
Louise
L
Fraser
Cynthia
C
Fry-Smith
Anne
A
Golder
Su
S
Lefebvre
Carol
C
Miller
Caroline
C
Paisley
Suzy
S
Payne
Liz
L
Price
Alison
A
Welch
Karen
K
D000043:Abstracting and Indexing / Q000379:methods*; D001635:Bibliography of Medicine; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D016245:Librarians; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013358:Subject Headings; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D006113:United Kingdom