This section details how the reviewers plan to search for relevant papers. A review should consider papers published in both commercial and in non-commercially operated databases (grey literature). The timeframe chosen for the search should be justified and any language restrictions stated (e.g. only studies published in English will be considered for inclusion). The databases to be searched must be listed along with the initial keywords to be used for the search. Appropriate databases to search should be included, including specification from the outset of the platform used to search a particular database.
Prevalence and incidence data are reported within the published, peer-reviewed literature and accordingly the standard JBI search strategy can be applied to locating this type of evidence.
There are also many and various sources of epidemiological data, within the grey literature, particularly for estimates of prevalence and incidence.
Vital statistics data, government surveillance data and reports, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, population censuses and surveys (i.e., national or state health survey data), health care utilization records and disease registries (population-based disease registries established to record cases of certain serious diseases).
Disease associations (e.g., American Diabetes Association).
Medical books, grey literature and reports from experts
What sources are chosen will obviously depend on the specific research question and its scope. For example, estimating the worldwide prevalence of a common condition (chronic disease) will need to include many more sources than a review examining the prevalence of a condition within a specific regional setting.