Reproducibility of PsycInfo searches across platforms.

Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, Vol 64(4), Nov 2023, 279-289; doi:10.1037/cap0000365PsycInfo is widely available through four vendors, each with its own unique platform. Anecdotal and preliminary evidence suggests that there are disparities in the search counts, citation counts, and results (i.e., records identified) of PsycInfo searches across platforms. The present study aimed to investigate literature search and citation reproducibility when (a) conducting apparently identical literature searches across different platforms and (b) examining the number of citations for a particular scholarly work across different platforms. A sampling of searches based on Canadian authors, Canadian topics, and topics on which Canadian researchers are recognized leaders were investigated. Results indicated that discrepancies appear to be the norm and different literature search counts, returned article records, and citation counts should be expected across platforms. Potential sources for these discrepancies were also investigated, and all were verified as contributing to divergent results. The results illuminate the method bias that exists when only using one version of PsycInfo and suggest several adverse consequences for researchers, instructors, practitioners, and students. Recommendations are provided on how to best conduct reviews of literature and citation counts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
Source: Canadian Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research