LibGuides: Systematic Review: Databases & Registries

Core Resources Available on the Web & Through Hunter Libraries

The following list presents key resources available through Hunter College Libraries to search in a systematic review. Guidelines such as the Cochrane handbooks specifically designate these as standard resources to search in any systematic review. Unfortunately, some resources recommended by Cochrane- such as Embase- are not currently available to search through Hunter College Libraries.

PubMed (contains MEDLINE)
The key database of medical and health literature. PubMed contains a wide range of literature addressing medical and health issues from a variety of perspectives. In addition to the contents of MEDLINE, PubMed contains in-process and out-of-scope records not to be found in MEDLINE.
Cochrane Library
Includes the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE trials, plus many trials from other sources. An important resource for identifying previous systematic reviews and controlled trials that relate to the topic of your research.
Web of Science
A citation index with broad, interdisciplinary coverage of the sciences. Web of Science includes some Journals and Conference Proceedings that are not included in PubMed.
ClinicalTrials.gov
As described on its website: "ClinicalTrials.gov is a registry and results database of publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants conducted around the world." Many clinical trial results are never publish as reports in the scholarly literature, making registry searching an important part of the systematic review process.
PROSPERO
PROSPERO is an international database of systematic review search protocols addressing topics in health and social care. You should search PROSPERO to see if any reviews addressing your question are in-progress. The PRISMA statement recommends that you register your review protocol. Registration helps increase transparency and avoid duplication of efforts.

Additional Resources Available Through Hunter College Libraries

Depending on the scope of your research question, it may be advisable to search additional databases to identify relevant studies. Here is a list of likely choices accompanied by brief scope notes:

Sociological Abstracts
Index of the international literature of sociology and related disciplines.
PsychINFO
Indexes and abstracts journal articles and book chapters in the field of psychology, cognitive and behavioral therapies are well covered.
CINAHL
The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, CINHAL is a excellent source for studies that touch on issues of patient care.