Table 1 Challenges of global Indigenous search strategies and possible remedies

Absence of a comprehensive Indigenous database.

Establishment of one or more databases that index global, historical, and contemporary literature about Indigenous populations.

Lack of transparency and accountability for how definitions of Indigenous peoples are operationalized.

Databases and other bodies that index Indigenous resources should provide explicit details about how they determine if a given community is classified as Indigenous under their definition.

Incomplete, piecemeal, and selective search term strings.

Creation of a list of global Indigenous communities.

Researchers erroneously assert that their search strategies encompass global Indigenous populations.

Researchers should critically consider and articulate the rationale for both the inclusion and exclusion of populations, and account for inherent limitations.