domains / families / research / biomedical-search-strategy-builder

biomedical-search-strategy-builder

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Builds professional search strategies for PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and similar databases. Use when a user needs to construct a MeSH-based Boolean query, design a systematic review search, expand a concept with synonyms, apply study-type or date filters, or adapt a query across multiple databases. Also triggers when the user says "help me search for papers on X", "build a search strategy", "what are the MeSH terms for", or "I need a systematic review search string".

When to use

• Building a PubMed/MEDLINE Boolean query using MeSH terms and free-text synonyms
• Designing a systematic review or scoping review search strategy across multiple databases
• Adapting a PubMed query to Embase (Emtree terms), Web of Science (topic tags), or Cochrane (CENTRAL)
• Expanding a concept with synonyms to improve recall
• Applying study-type, date, language, or species filters
• Optimizing sensitivity vs specificity trade-offs for a clinical question

When not to use

• Executing a live PubMed search and returning results
• Summarizing or analyzing specific retrieved papers
• Generating data or fabricating citations

Skill page

Source