The TARCiS statement: Guidance on terminology, application, and reporting of citation searching

Abstract

Evidence syntheses adhering to systematic literature searching techniques are a cornerstone of evidence-based health care. Beyond term-based searching in electronic databases, citation searching is a prevalent search technique to identify relevant sources of evidence. However, for decades, citation searching methodology and terminology has not been standardized. We performed an evidence-guided four-round Delphi consensus study with 27 international methodological experts in order to develop the Terminology, Application, and Reporting of Citation Searching (TARCiS) statement. TARCiS comprises ten specific recommendations on when and how to conduct and report citation searching in the context of systematic literature searches and four research priorities. We encourage systematic reviewers and information specialists to incorporate TARCiS into their standardized workflows.