Medical Research Freelancer – Systematic Review Literature Search

Medical Research Freelancer Needed – Systematic Review Literature Search & Study Identification Overview I am conducting a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (SR/MA) in the medical field and am looking for an experienced medical researcher/information specialist to perform a comprehensive literature search and study identification based on a predefined research question and search strategy. The main task is to search multiple medical databases systematically, retrieve all potentially relevant studies, and provide the search results in an organized format for subsequent screening. Scope of Work The freelancer will be provided with: * The research question * PICO/PICOS framework * Inclusion and exclusion criteria * A search strategy/search terms * The databases that need to be searched You will be responsible for: 1. Database Searching Conduct a comprehensive search in relevant medical databases, including: * PubMed/MEDLINE * Embase * Cochrane CENTRAL * Scopus * Web of Science * Any other relevant database appropriate for the research question The search should follow the provided search strategy exactly, with appropriate database-specific adaptations where necessary. 2. Study Identification Retrieve all records identified by the search strategy, without prematurely excluding studies based on title/abstract unless specifically instructed. The goal is to ensure that potentially eligible studies are not missed. 3. Search Documentation For each database, provide: * Exact database name * Date searched * Complete search strategy * Number of records retrieved * Any filters/limits applied * Database/platform used The search should be fully reproducible, consistent with PRISMA 2020 requirements. 4. Export of Search Results Export the retrieved records in a format suitable for screening and deduplication, preferably: * RIS * EndNote XML * CSV/Excel * Or another commonly used systematic-review format Each record should contain, whenever available: * Title * Authors * Journal * Publication year * DOI * PMID/other database ID * Abstract * Database of origin Important Requirements I am looking for someone with demonstrable experience in systematic reviews/meta-analyses, particularly in medical or clinical research. The ideal freelancer should: * Have previous experience conducting database searches for SR/MA * Understand PICO/PICOS and Boolean search strategies * Be familiar with MeSH and database-specific controlled vocabulary * Understand how to translate search strategies between PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Scopus, and Web of Science * Be familiar with PRISMA 2020 * Be highly detail-oriented * Be able to provide a complete and reproducible search record * Have experience with reference-management/screening software such as EndNote, Rayyan, Covidence, or Zotero Deliverables The final deliverables should include: 1. Complete search results from each requested database 2. Database-specific search strategies 3. Search dates 4. Number of records retrieved from each database 5. Deduplicated master file 6. Number of duplicate records removed 7. Final unique-record file ready for title/abstract screening 8. A brief search report documenting the entire process Quality Control Accuracy is extremely important. I do not want a limited or superficial search. The objective is to identify all potentially eligible studies according to the provided search strategy and criteria. The search must be reproducible and suitable for inclusion in a peer-reviewed systematic review/meta-analysis manuscript. To Apply Please provide: 1. Examples of previous systematic reviews/meta-analyses where you performed the literature search 2. Which databases you have experience searching 3. Which tools/software you use for deduplication and screening 4. Your proposed timeline 5. Your fixed price or hourly rate Please do not apply if you only have general data-entry or literature-review experience without hands-on experience conducting systematic database searches.