Using citation tracking for systematic literature searching - study protocol for a scoping review of methodological studies and a Delphi study

Background: Up-to-date guidance on comprehensive study identification for systematic reviews is crucial. According to current recommendations, searching should combine electronic database with supplementary search methods. One such method citation tracking. It aims at collecting directly and/or indirectly cited and citing references from "seed references". Tailored evidence-guided recommendations concerning the use of tracking are strongly needed. Objective: We intend develop in literature health-related topics. Our will be guided by following research questions: What benefit topics? Which methods, indexes, other tools used tracking? terminology methods? Methods: have two parts: a scoping review Delphi study. The identifying methodological studies topics no restrictions design, language, publication date. perform MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Web Science Core Collection, information science databases, web searching, contact experts field. Two reviewers independently selection. conduct direct backward forward included articles. Data extracted using prespecified extraction sheet presented both tabular narrative form. results inform subsequent through which we aim derive consensus future practice tracking.