Comparar métodos

	Estrategia de búsqueda sistemática	Operadores booleanos de búsqueda	Búsqueda de literatura gris
Campo	Habilidades de investigación	Habilidades de investigación	Habilidades de investigación
Familia	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Año de origen	1990s (formalized in Cochrane methodology)	1847 (Boolean algebra); 1960s (database applications)	1990s (formalized in systematic review guidelines)
Autor original	Cochrane Collaboration and systematic review methodologists	George Boole and IT information retrieval practitioners	Information specialists and systematic review methodologists (Cochrane Collaboration, Health Technology Assessment)
Tipo	Framework	Tool	Tool
Fuente seminal	Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097.	Wilkinson, M. D., Sansone, S. A., Vandervalk, B., & Rocca-Serra, P. (2011). Evaluating information retrieval systems: a guide for researchers. Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 11(2), 181–190.	Rothstein, H. R., & Hopewell, S. (2009). Grey literature. In J. P. Higgins & S. Green (Eds.), Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions (Version 5.0.2, Chapter 13). The Cochrane Collaboration.
Alias	search protocol, systematic search, comprehensive search strategy	Boolean logic, Boolean search, AND OR NOT	grey literature, gray literature, unpublished literature
Relacionados	3	2	3
Resumen	A systematic search strategy is a comprehensive, transparent protocol for retrieving all relevant literature addressing a well-defined research question. Developed by the Cochrane Collaboration and formalized in guidelines like PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), systematic search strategies are essential for conducting unbiased literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. Unlike ad hoc searches (searching Google Scholar or PubMed without a protocol), systematic searches document every step—which databases were searched, what search terms were used, how many results were retrieved, and what inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied—enabling other researchers to reproduce the search and verify that no relevant studies were missed.	Boolean search operators are logical functions—AND, OR, NOT, and parentheses—used to combine and filter search terms in bibliographic databases, library catalogs, and search engines. Named after mathematician George Boole (1815–1864), Boolean logic has been applied to information retrieval since the 1960s. These operators allow researchers to construct complex, precise searches that retrieve only articles meeting specific combinations of criteria, dramatically improving search efficiency and reducing irrelevant results.	Grey literature comprises documents and data not published through conventional commercial channels—including theses, government reports, clinical trial registries, conference abstracts, organizational policy documents, and working papers. Unlike journal articles, grey literature is not indexed in MEDLINE or Scopus and often lacks peer review. However, it is crucial for systematic reviews because it may contain null or negative findings that are less likely to be published (publication bias). Systematic grey literature searching is now a standard component of evidence synthesis and is recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration, PRISMA, and other methodological guidelines.