Table 3 Supplementary Materials

Fully documenting a search will require publication of supplementary materials. Due to the instability of supplementary materials published as part of a journal article, uploading complete documentation to a secure and permanent archive is recommended.

Options for secure and permanent archives

Many options exist for uploading documentation. Ideally, use an archive or repository that will provide a digital object identifier (DOI) for any uploaded materials (Table 2). These are a few of the many options available.

       Institutional repository: Many institutions or their affiliated libraries host online repository systems for their faculty, staff, and students. An example is the University of Michigan’s Deep Blue Data system (https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/).

 Open Science Framework (http://osf.io/): The Open Science Framework (OSF) platform enables the storage of any documentation associated with a research study. It is possible to create DOIs for individual files or groups of files. OSF is openly and freely available.

figshare (https://figshare.com/): figshare is a commercial platform that allows researchers to share any type of data or research output. It is possible to create DOIs for individual files or collections.

Zenodo (https://zenodo.org/): Zenodo is a general purpose, freely available open access repository available from CERN for research data and associated materials. Uploaded materials are assigned DOIs.

What documentation to upload

Materials related to all PRISMA-S checklist items can be included in supplementary materials. Sufficient information should be uploaded that would enable an interested reader to replicate the search strategy. Specifically, it is recommended that documentation relating to the full search strategies for all information sources and methods be included in supplementary materials.

Optionally, authors may wish to upload additional supplementary information, including files of all references retrieved, all references after deduplication, and all references to included studies. Authors who wish to share these files should note that abstracts are copyrighted materials and should be removed from files before sharing them publicly.

For an example of supplementary materials related to a systematic review search, see:

      MacEachern, M. (2017). Literature search strategies for "Substance Use Education in Schools of Nursing: A Systematic Review of the Literature" [Data set]. University of Michigan - Deep Blue. https://doi.org/10.7302/Z24X560Q

In this example, the materials shared include a Read Me file to explain the files, EndNote (.enlx) files of screened references, the original files imported into EndNote, and the complete, reproducible search strategies for all information sources.