Handsearch results that are relevant to the scope of your Group, should be entered in your Register and added to CENTRAL if they meet the inclusion criteria.
The formatting of the fields within your register is important, and Information Specialists should use the HarmoniSR guidance to ensure that records are consistent. This guidance can be found on the Information Specialists' Portal in the Specialised Register section. The HarmoniSR group was originally formed to try and standardise the format of trial registry records in the CRS. This work also encompass mappings for CRS study records, as well as other types of reference records where there is currently variation in mapping and content of fields.
More information
- There is a Training manual for handsearchers, hosted on the Information Retrieval Methods Group site. This was published in 2002 but the information is still current.
- Cochrane Register of Studies Online has a tab called 'Handsearched journals'. This resource is only available to users who have an Archie Account.
- The importance of handsearching was highlighted by this Cochrane Review: Hopewell S, Clarke MJ, Lefebvre C, Scherer RW. Handsearching versus electronic searching to identify reports of randomized trials. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 2. Art. No.: MR000001. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.MR000001.pub2