Table 1 Search strategy used to search Medline and Embase within Ovid on 24 July 2018

Existing published strategy for randomised controlled trials

1

(article OR randomized controlled trials).pt.

2

Animals/

3

Humans/

4

#2 NOT (2 AND 3)

5

#1 NOT #4

Cluster design–related terms

6

(cluster$ adj2 randomi$).tw.

7

((communit$ adj2 intervention$) or (communit$ adj2 randomi$)).tw.

8

group$ randomi$.tw.

9

#6 OR #7 OR #8

10

intervention?.tw.

11

Cluster Analysis/

12

Health Promotion/

13

Program Evaluation/

14

Health Education/

15

#10 OR #11 OR #12 OR #13 OR #14

16

#9 OR #15

Bayesian search terms

17

bayes$.af.

18

#16 AND #17

Final search

19

#18 AND #5

20

limit #19 to (randomized controlled trial)