About Search Filters

Apply a pre-made PubMed search strategy or "search filter" to your search to save you time. Filters are optimised search strategies designed by search experts. They aid effective searching by providing a more precise and relevant set of results.

There are two search filter types:

  1. Study design/methodology filters
  2. Topic filters

A search filter is used in combination with search terms that describe your topic of interest. Identify the main concepts and their keywords in your research question or topic before you apply a search filter.

Follow the steps in this guide to learn how to combine your chosen PubMed search filter with your identified search terms.

Source

Qualitative Studies - PubMed. In: CADTH Search Filters Database. Ottawa: CADTH; 2022: https://searchfilters.cadth.ca/link/93

Apply
Apply search filter in PubMed
  1. Highlight and copy the Search Filter on this page
  2. Open EPOCH database PubMed
  3. On Advanced Search Builder page paste the Search Filter in first search box
  4. Click ADD to add the Search Filter to Query box
Combine filter and your research concept(s)
  1. Enter search term or phrase to describe your main concept in first search box
  2. [Optional] Select a relevant field from Select a Field drop-down menu
  3. Click AND to combine your research concept in the Query box with the Search Filter
  4. If combining more than one concept repeat steps 1-3
  5. Click Search
Search Filter

"Empirical Research"[mh] OR "Interview"[pt] OR "Interviews as Topic"[mh] OR "Personal Narrative"[pt] OR "Personal Narratives as Topic"[mh] OR "Focus Groups"[mh] OR "Narration"[mh] OR "Nursing Methodology Research"[mh] OR interview*[tiab] OR theme[tiab] OR thematic[tiab] OR "qualitative"[all fields] OR questionnaire*[all fields] OR "ethnological research"[all fields] OR ethnograph*[all fields] OR ethnonursing[all fields] OR phenomenol*[all fields] OR "grounded theor*"[all fields] OR "grounded stud*"[all fields] OR "grounded research"[all fields] OR "grounded analys*"[all fields] OR "life stor*"[all fields] OR "women's stor*"[all fields] OR emic[all fields] OR etic[all fields] OR hermeneutic*[all fields] OR heuristic*[all fields] OR "semiotic"[all fields] OR "data saturat*"[tiab] OR "participant observ*"[tiab] OR "social construct*"[tiab] OR postmodern*[tiab] OR "post-structural*"[tiab] OR "post structural*"[tiab] OR poststructural*[tiab] OR "post modern*"[tiab] OR "post-modern*"[tiab] OR feminis*[tiab] OR action research[tiab] OR "cooperative inquir*"[tiab] OR "co-operative inquir*"[tiab] OR humanistic[tiab] OR existential[tiab] OR experiential[tiab] OR paradigm*[tiab] OR "field stud*"[tiab] OR "field research"[tiab] OR "human science"[tiab] OR "biographical method*"[tiab] OR "theoretical sampl*"[all fields] OR "purposeful sampl*"[tiab] OR "purposive sampl*"[tiab] OR "focus group*"[all fields] OR account[tiab] OR accounts[tiab] OR unstructured[tiab] OR "open-ended"[tiab] OR texts[tiab] OR textual[tiab] OR narrative*[tiab] OR narration[tiab] OR "life world"[tiab] OR "life-world"[tiab] OR "conversation analys*"[tiab] OR "personal experience*"[tiab] OR "theoretical saturation"[tiab] OR "lived experience*"[tiab] OR "life experience*"[tiab] OR "cluster sampl*"[tiab] OR "observational method*"[tiab] OR "content analysis"[tiab] OR "constant comparative"[tiab] OR "constant comparison"[tiab] OR "discourse analys*"[tiab] OR "discursive analys*"[tiab] OR "narrative analys*"[tiab] OR Heidegger*[tiab] OR colaizzi*[tiab] OR spiegelberg*[tiab] OR "van manen*"[tiab] OR "van kaam*"[tiab] OR "merleau ponty*"[tiab] OR Husserl*[tiab] OR Foucault[tiab] OR ricoeur[tiab] OR glaser*[tiab] OR (corbin*[tiab] AND strauss*[tiab])

Source

RCT / CCT - PubMed. In: CADTH Search Filters Database. Ottawa: CADTH; 2022: https://searchfilters.cadth.ca/link/108

Apply
Apply search filter in PubMed
  1. Highlight and copy the Search Filter on this page
  2. Open EPOCH database PubMed
  3. On Advanced Search Builder page paste the Search Filter in first search box
  4. Click ADD to add the Search Filter to Query box
Combine filter and your research concept(s)
  1. Enter search term or phrase to describe your main concept in first search box
  2. [Optional] Select a relevant field from Select a Field drop-down menu
  3. Click AND to combine your research concept in the Query box with the Search Filter
  4. If combining more than one concept repeat steps 1-3
  5. Click Search
Search Filter

"Randomized Controlled Trial"[pt] OR "Controlled Clinical Trial"[pt] OR "Pragmatic Clinical Trial"[pt] OR "Equivalence Trial"[pt] OR "Clinical Trial, Phase III"[pt] OR "Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic"[mh] OR "Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic"[mh] OR "Random Allocation"[mh] OR "Double-Blind Method"[mh] OR "Single-Blind Method"[mh] OR Placebos[Mesh:NoExp] OR "Control Groups"[mh] OR (random*[tiab] OR sham[tiab] OR placebo*[tiab]) OR ((singl*[tiab] OR doubl*[tiab]) AND (blind*[tiab] OR dumm*[tiab] OR mask*[tiab])) OR ((tripl*[tiab] OR trebl*[tiab]) AND (blind*[tiab] OR dumm*[tiab] OR mask*[tiab])) OR (control*[tiab] AND (study[tiab] OR studies[tiab] OR trial*[tiab] OR group*[tiab])) OR (Nonrandom*[tiab] OR "non random*"[tiab] OR "non-random*"[tiab] OR "quasi-random*"[tiab] OR quasirandom*[tiab]) OR allocated[tiab] OR (("open label"[tiab] OR "open-label"[tiab]) AND (study[tiab] OR studies[tiab] OR trial*[tiab])) OR ((equivalence[tiab] OR superiority[tiab] OR "non-inferiority"[tiab] OR noninferiority[tiab]) AND (study[tiab] OR studies[tiab] OR trial*[tiab])) OR ("pragmatic study"[tiab] OR "pragmatic studies"[tiab]) OR ((pragmatic[tiab] OR practical[tiab]) AND trial*[tiab]) OR ((quasiexperimental[tiab] OR "quasi-experimental"[tiab]) AND (study[tiab] OR studies[tiab] OR trial*[tiab])) OR (phase[ti] AND (III[ti] OR 3[ti]) AND (study[ti] OR studies[ti] OR trial*[ti])) OR (phase[ot] AND (III[ot] OR 3[ot]) AND (study[ot] OR studies[ot] OR trial*[ot]))