information retrieval
information retrieval
SuRe Info is a web resource that provides research-based information relating to information retrieval aspects available to anyone. Learn more
IRG Webinar
Available on-demand: Information Retrieval Interest Group webinar, “Evidence-Based Searching for Health Technology Assessment: Keeping up to Date With SuRe Info“.
Original release date: Wednesday, February 23, 2022.
IRG eNewsletter No. 18 (May 2022)
IRG eNewsletter No. 17 (July 2021)
IRG eNewsletter No. 16 (March 2020)
IRG eNewsletter No. 15 (March 2019)
IRG eNewsletter No. 14 (July 2018)
IRG eNewsletter No. 13 (October 2017)
IRG eNewsletter No. 12 (September 2016)
IRG eNewsletter No. 11 (April 2016)
IRG eNewsletter No. 10 (December 2015)
IRG eNewsletter No. 9 (October 2014)
IRG eNewsletter No. 8 (February 2014)
IRG eNewsletter No. 7 (September 2013)
IRG eNewsletter No. 6 (April 2013)
IRG eNewsletter No. 5 (December 2012)
IRG eNewsletter No. 4 (August 2012)
IRG eNewsletter No. 3 (June 2012)
2022
IRG Pre-Conference Workshop for the HTAi 2022 Annual Meeting in Utrecht, Netherlands.
“Advanced Workshop In Information Retrieval: Addressing Lifecycles Of The Literature In Health Technology Assessment”
Introduction
The HTAi Information Retrieval Group (IRG) holds its advanced skills workshop each year at the HTAi Annual Meeting. This year we will focus on addressing the challenges of navigating the lifecycle of the literature supporting the work of Health Technology Assessment. This annual workshop allows participants the opportunity to learn new advances in information retrieval and share their innovative experiences and practices with other expert searchers.
Structure of Session
This full day workshop included sessions that connected to many of the following themes which impact searching for evidence across the lifecycle of HTA. Topics included:
- Searching for evidence beyond RCTs
- Real World Evidence
- Post-marketing surveillance
- Issues with different publication formats
- Pre-prints
- Predatory journals
- Working with existing systematic reviews
- Living systematic reviews
- Condition-level reviews
- Evidence maps
The workshop included interactive activities, e.g. hands-on exercise, group and plenary discussions. Previous workshops in information retrieval have generated vibrant discussion and lots of engagement among the participants.
Outcomes and Objectives
Objectives of the workshop are to advance the skills of those conducting literature searches as the foundational piece of HTA work.
Target audience: Information specialists and others interested in information retrieval tools and methods.
Workshop date: June 25, 2022
Speakers:
Christa Niehot, Netherlands
Mbachi Ruth Msomphora, Norway
Per-Olov Andersson, Sweden
James Thomas, UK
Siw Waffenschmidt, Germany
Amanda Hodgson, Canada
Monika Mierzwinski-Urban, Canada
David Kaunelis, Canada
Stacy Brody, USA
Nicole Askin, Canada
Mark Mueller, Canada
Ingrid Harboe, Norway
2019
IRG Pre-Conference Workshop for the HTAi 2019 Annual Meeting in Cologne, Germany.
Advancing Information Retrieval for the new decade: automation tools, CSRs, search efficiencies and DTA studies
Introduction
The HTAi Information Retrieval Group (IRG) holds its advanced skills workshop each year at the HTAi Annual Meeting. This year we want to explore four topics that HTA information specialists will be encountering in the next decade.
Structure of the session and Panel/Workshop outcome and objectives:
- Automation technologies and tools to improve searching and study identification will introduce a range of automation tools for searching and screening of citations, mapping and describing research studies, conducting evidence surveillance and achieving living systematic reviews. It will also facilitate a discussion on the role of the information specialists and the broad implications of utilising these technologies within evidence synthesis workflows..
- Clinical study reports (CSR) provide complete information on clinical studies. This session will be given by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) and will explore the reasons for using CSR’s, the basic structure and content of a CSR and an overview of which sources can be searched to identify CSRs.
- Decisions on whether to search both Medline (via OvidSP) and PubMed in HTA literature searching is routinely discussed by information specialists internationally on listservs and no definitive general consensus has been reached. The CADTH Research Information Services team will present their exploratory research project on this topic, discuss preferences for searching among attendees, and will delve into reasoning behind why we might search both databases.
- Searching for diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) studies introduces information specialists to the specific challenges of developing search strategies for evidence synthesis and systematic reviews of DTA studies. These challenges include poorly-developed and inconsistent terminology, concepts and indexing. Lessons learned from research in this area can also help to address similar challenges encountered for other topics.
Moderators
- Siw Waffenschmidt, Chair IRG, Head of Information Management Unit, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), Germany
- Ingrid Harboe, Co-Chair IRG, Research librarian, Division for Health Services, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPHNO)., Norway
Presenters:
- Justin Clark, Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice (CREBP), Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia
- Julie Glanville, York Health Economics Consortium, York, UK
- Elke Hausner, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, Germany
- Amanda Hodgson, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, Canada
- Michael Köhler, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, Germany
- Maria-Inti Metzendorf, Cochrane Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders Group Institute of General Practice, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Claire Stansfield, EPPI-Centre, University College London, UK
- Rene Spijker, Cochrane Netherlands
- James Thomas, EPPI-Centre, University College London, UK
Declaration of funding:
The presenter(s) received no specific funding for this work.
IRG Materials & Events
IRG Webinar
Join the Information Retrieval Interest Group for their webinar ”Evidence-Based Searching for Health Technology Assessment: Keeping up to Date With SuRe Info” live on YouTube Wednesday, February 23, 7:00a.m. MST (2:00 pm. UTC.)
IRG Workshops
HTAi – Information Retrieval – Preliminary programme for the Pre-Conference Workshop in Rome, Italy, Sunday June 18 2017:
Information Retrieval Workshop Announcement 2017, HTAi Annual Meeting, Rome, Italy
Text Analysis Tools and Rapid Reviews: Practical Guidance for Advanced Information Retrieval
Organizer: HTAi Interest Group on Information Retrieval (IRG)
Workshop description
The Information Retrieval Group (IRG) advanced skills workshop provides an opportunity for information specialists and others interested in information retrieval, to come together to network and discuss important issues in HTA information management and systematic review work. Text analysis tools and rapid reviews are becoming of increasing importance methodologically and practically to arrive at robust answers to support decision-making.
Text analysis tools, speakers:
Julie Glanville, Associate Director, YHEC (York Health Economics Consortium), University of York, UK
Carol Lefebvre, Independent Information Consultant, Lefebvre Associates Ltd, Oxford, UK and
Co-Convenor, Cochrane Information Retrieval Methods Group
Rapid reviews, speakers:
Sarah McGill, Lead Research Information Specialist, CADTH (Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health), Canada
Fiona Campbell, Research Fellow, ScHARR (School of Health and Related Research), University of Sheffield, UK
Andrew Booth, Reader in Evidence Based Information Practice and Director of Information, ScHARR, University of Sheffield, UK
Health Presentations and other files from previous events are available below:
Workshop in collaboration with INAHTA Education and Training Group
Health Presentations and other files from previous events are available below:
eNewsletter No.13 (October 2017)
eNewsletter No.12 (September 2016)
eNewsletter No.11 (April 2016)
eNewsletter No.10 (December 2015)
eNewsletter No.9 (October 2014)
eNewsletter No.8 (February 2014)
eNewsletter No.7 (September 2013)
eNewsletter No.5 (December 2012) Group
Download Materials from the July 6, 2008, IRG Workshop
RG Workshop 2008 Programme37 K
IRG Workshop 2008 Group discussions36 K
IRG Workshop 2008 Group discussions36 K
Optimizing Information Retrieval Methods for HTA – Towards Best Practice
The IRG conducted a workshop at HTAi 2010 in Dublin (June 2010) on the subject of “Optimising information retrieval methods for HTA – towards best practice”. The workshop focused on systematic methods to identify studies for HTAs and other evidence syntheses.
Workshop presentations
Session One: Identifying studies for HTAs and systematic reviews: a comparison of methods across three organizations
Policy and practice within the Cochrane Collaboration
HTAi2009PreConfWorkshopSusanBidwellWhatIsCAM51 K
Carol Lefevbre
Methods of the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)
David Kaunelis
Methods of the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services (NOKC)
Carol Lefevbre and Julie Glanville
Session Three: Issues in finding economic evaluations for technology assessment
David Kaunelis and Julie Glanville
Basic skills in literature searching for HTA
The IRG conducted a workshop on “Basic skills in literature searching in HTA,” intended to provide an introduction to literature searching for beginners and a refresher for experienced practitioners.
Workshop presentations
Overview of HTA
Evelinda M Trindade
Practical issues and resources to support literature searching for HTA
Steven Duffy
Scoping and developing the research question
Evelinda M Trindale
Where to search?A
Ingrid Harboe
Workshop presentations
Grey matters! Identifying grey literature for HTAs and systematic reviews
Heyley Fitzsimmons
Information Resources Group Events in Bilbao:
Flyer of Meeting Events (PDF download)
Sunday, June 24
09:00-16:00
Pre-conference workshop:
Transforming Information Services in a Changing HTA Environment
Presentations:
Liz Dennett, Dagmara Chojecki, IHE, “Rapid Searches for Rapid Reviews”
Rocio Rodriguez Lopez, AETSA, “Information Specialists & Patient Centred Health Systems”
Patrice Chalon, KCE, The New HTAi Vortal: From Demonstrator To Working Prototype (slideshare link)
Monday, June 25
12:30-14:00
IRG Annual Business Meeting
14.30-16.00
Oral presentation:
Developing Methodological Standards For Searching For Studies: Experiences From The Cochrane Collaboration (Carol Lefebvre, (Independent Information Consultant / Co-Convenor, Cochrane IRMG).
18:00-19:30
Oral presentation:
The New HTAi Vortal: From Demonstrator To Working Prototype (Patrice Chalon, KCE)
21:30-
IRG informal dinner at El Kasko in Bilbao
Tuesday, June 26
11:00-12:30
Panel session:
Accessing Unpublished Evidence – Can We Rely On Trials Registers And Regulatory Agency Submissions?
17:30-19:00
Oral presentations:
- IR Reference Tool – A Tool To Summarise And Map The Evidence Base On Information Retrieval For HTA (Sari Ormstad, NOKC)
- Review Of Information Retrieval – First Experiences In Germany With Manufacturer Dossiers On New Drugs (Siw Waffenschmidt, IQWiG)
Information Resources Group Events in Seoul
Pre-Conference Workshop
Methodological Developments in Advanced Bibliographic Searching and Assessing Research Impact
Sunday, June 16, 2013
This workshop brought together international speakers to talk about creative ways to approaching systematic searches, regional databases and database search techniques, and bibliometric techniques used to assess research impact. See below for the slide presentations given.
Pre-Conference Workshop
Methodological Developments in Advanced Bibliographic Searching and Assessing Research Impact
Sunday, June 16, 2013
This workshop brought together international speakers to talk about creative ways to approaching systematic searches, regional databases and database search techniques, and bibliometric techniques used to assess research impact. See below for the slide presentations given.
SuRe Info: Keeping up-to-date with information retrieval research
Searching for Health Economic Evaluations – New Skills?
Incorporating Creativity into Literature Searching and Information Retrieval
Bibliometric Analysis of Research Papers: Librarians’ Role in Research Promotion in Universities
Information retrieval for HTA and Clinical Practice Guideline -Issues and Challenges faced
Information Resources Group Events in Washington
Presentations from the IRG 2014 Business Meeting [three documents]
Information Resources Group Events in Washington
Presentations from the IRG 2014 Business Meeting [four documents]
Minutes from the IRG 2016 Business Meeting
Introduction
Advancing Information Retrieval for the new decade: automation tools, CSRs, search efficiencies and DTA studies
The HTAi Information Retrieval Group (IRG) holds its advanced skills workshop each year at the HTAi Annual Meeting. This year we want to explore four topics that HTA information specialists will be encountering in the next decade.
Structure of the session and Panel/Workshop outcome and objectives:
- Automation technologies and tools to improve searching and study identification will introduce a range of automation tools for searching and screening of citations, mapping and describing research studies, conducting evidence surveillance and achieving living systematic reviews. It will also facilitate a discussion on the role of the information specialists and the broad implications of utilising these technologies within evidence synthesis workflows..
- Clinical study reports (CSR) provide complete information on clinical studies. This session will be given by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) and will explore the reasons for using CSR’s, the basic structure and content of a CSR and an overview of which sources can be searched to identify CSRs.
- Decisions on whether to search both Medline (via OvidSP) and PubMed in HTA literature searching is routinely discussed by information specialists internationally on listservs and no definitive general consensus has been reached. The CADTH Research Information Services team will present their exploratory research project on this topic, discuss preferences for searching among attendees, and will delve into reasoning behind why we might search both databases
- Searching for diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) studies introduces information specialists to the specific challenges of developing search strategies for evidence synthesis and systematic reviews of DTA studies. These challenges include poorly-developed and inconsistent terminology, concepts and indexing. Lessons learned from research in this area can also help to address similar challenges encountered for other topics.
Moderators
- Siw Waffenschmidt, Chair IRG, Head of Information Management Unit, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), Germany
- Ingrid Harboe, Co-Chair IRG, Research librarian, Division for Health Services, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPHNO)., Norway
Presenters:
- Justin Clark, Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice (CREBP), Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia
- Julie Glanville, York Health Economics Consortium, York, UK
- Elke Hausner, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, Germany
- Amanda Hodgson, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, Canada
- Michael Köhler, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, Germany
- Maria-Inti Metzendorf, Cochrane Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders Group Institute of General Practice, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Claire Stansfield, EPPI-Centre, University College London, UK
- Rene Spijker, Cochrane Netherlands
- James Thomas, EPPI-Centre, University College London, UK
Declaration of funding:
The presenter(s) received no specific funding for this work.
MLA-FOCUS: August 4, 2016
Congratulations to Winning Research Papers and Posters from Mosaic ’16!
The MLA Research Section is pleased to announce the winners for best research papers and posters at Mosaic ’16. Thank you to the 44 judges who volunteered their expertise to help select these deserving awardees. To learn more about the selection process, visit the Research Section website.
The Research Section is also proud to announce the winner of the Best JMLA Research Paper Award for 2014-2015.
Paper Winners
First Place
“Improving Access to Reports of Randomized Controlled Trails in Embase: Innovative Methods Enhance the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)”
Structure of the session and Panel/Workshop outcome and objectives:
- Julie M. Glanville, Associate Director, York Health Economics Consortium Ltd., York, United Kingdom
- Gordon Dooley, Director, Metaxis Ltd., Curbridge, United Kingdom
- Anna Noel-Storr, Trials Search Coordinator, Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Ruth Foxlee, Information Specialist, Cochrane Editorial Unit, London, United Kingdom
Second Place
“Morning Report Mosaic: Information Resources Used to Answer Clinical Questions from Morning Report”
- “Supporting Knowledge Synthesis Methods Training: Review of the Evidence for Online Systematic Review Instruction”
- David C. Duggar, AHIP, Head, Library Liaison Program, LSU Health Shreveport, Health Sciences Library, Shreveport, Louisiana
- Taylor Gatson, Research Apprentice, Department of Internal Medicine, Shreveport, LouisianaDeepthi Gangireddy, House Officer Program Year 3, Department of Internal Medicine, Shreveport, Louisiana
- Deepthi Gangireddy, House Officer Program Year 3, Department of Internal Medicine, Shreveport, Louisiana
- Megan Hughes, House Officer Program Year 2, Department of Internal Medicine, Shreveport, Louisiana
- Gunjan Kahlon, Chief, Internal Medicine Section, Department of Internal Medicine, Shreveport, Louisiana
Honorable Mention
“Supporting Knowledge Synthesis Methods Training: Review of the Evidence for Online Systematic Review Instruction”
- Robin M. N. Parker, Evidence Synthesis and Information Services Librarian, WK Kellogg Health Sciences Library, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Sarah M. Visintini, Evidence Synthesis Coordinator, Maritimes SPOR Support Unit and Nova Scotia Site of Cochrane Canada, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Leah M. N. Boulos, MLIS Candidate and Student Intern, WK Kellogg Health Sciences Library, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Krista Ritchie, Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Jill A. Hayden, Associate Professor, Dept. of Community Health & Epidemiology, Dalhousie University. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Poster Winners
First Place
- Kelly Farrah, AHIP, Research Information Specialist, CADTH
- Monika Mierzwinski-Urban, Information Specialist, Information Services
Second Place
“Engaging Diverse Communities in Cancer Conversations Through Creation of Structure and Metadata within Twitter”
- Patricia F. Anderson, Emerging Technologies Informationist, Taubman Library, University of Michigan
- Matthew S. Katz, Doctor, Lowell General Hospital
Honorable Mention
“Piecing Together the Mosaic of Rural Clinician Information Practices over a Twenty Year Period”
- Rich Wallace, AHIP, Assistant Director, Quillen College of Medicine Library
- Nakia Woodward, Senior Clinical Librarian, Quillen College of Medicine Library
Best Hospital Paper/Poster Winner
“Has the Distribution and Role of Clinical Librarians in the United Kingdom Changed in the Last Ten Years?”
- Sarah Sutton, Clinical Librarian, University Hospitals of Leicester
“Searching ClinicalTrials.gov and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform to inform systematic reviews: What are the optimal search approaches?” J Med Libr Assoc. 2014 Jul;102(3)”117-83. doi: 10.3163/1536-5050.102.3.007.
Julie M. Glanville, MSc, Associate Director; Steven Duffy, PgDip, Senior Information Consultant; Rachael McCool, BSc, Research Consultant; Danielle Varley, MSc, Research Assistant, York Health Economics Consortium, University of York, United Kingdom
IRG ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION
Chair: Ingrid Harboe
Vice-Chair: Amanda Hodgson
Technical Officer: Gabriela Vilela de Brito
IRG Steering Committee Members:
- Catherine Voutier, Australia, Former Chair (2011-2013)
- David Kaunelis, Canada, Steering Committee (2017-2021), Former Chair (2013-2015)
- Diane Lorenzetti, Canada Steering Committee 2021-2023
- Lisa Tjosvold, Canada, Steering Committee (2017-2021)
- Siw Waffenschmidt, Germany, Former Chair (2017-2021)