Praxical.Psych
scholarship

Searching the literature so that it can be checked

A search you cannot describe is a search nobody can evaluate, including you in six months.

Where to look

SourceCoversNote
PsycINFOPsychology and psychotherapy, comprehensivelyThe primary database for this field; APA thesaurus terms
MEDLINE / PubMedBiomedical, including psychiatryMeSH terms; free via PubMed
EmbaseBiomedical, stronger European and pharmaceutical coverageSubscription; important for systematic reviews
CENTRAL (Cochrane)Randomised trialsEssential for any review of trials
Web of Science / ScopusCross-disciplinary; citation trackingUse for forward citation searching
ClinicalTrials.gov / ISRCTNRegistered trials, including unpublishedThe main tool against publication bias
PROSPERORegistered systematic reviewsCheck before you start; someone may be doing it
Google ScholarEverything, impreciselyGood for finding a known item and for grey literature; not reproducible as a primary search

Building a search you can report

  1. 1Frame the question. PICO for quantitative — Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome. SPIDER or SPICE for qualitative.
  2. 2Identify concepts, then list synonyms for each: free-text terms plus controlled vocabulary (MeSH, APA thesaurus).
  3. 3Combine synonyms with OR inside a concept, and concepts with AND between them.
  4. 4Use truncation and proximity operators; check each database’s syntax because they differ.
  5. 5Apply limits deliberately and justify them — language limits in particular introduce bias and should be defended, not assumed.
  6. 6Record the exact search string, the database, the interface and the date run. Every one of them.
  7. 7Supplement: reference lists of included studies, forward citation searching, trial registries, and contacting authors.

The flow diagram

PRISMA’s flow diagram is not decoration. It forces you to account for every record: identified, duplicates removed, screened, excluded with reasons, full text assessed, excluded with reasons, included. If you cannot fill it in, you did not keep adequate records, and the review cannot be reported honestly.

Reference management

Use Zotero, Mendeley or EndNote from the first paper you read, not from the first draft. Retrospective reference construction is where citation errors are introduced, and errors introduced this way propagate: a substantial proportion of citations in published papers contain errors, and a meaningful fraction misrepresent what the cited source said.

Sources

  • Higgins, J. P. T., et al. (Eds.) (2023). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (v6.4). Cochrane

    manual

  • Rethlefsen, M. L., et al. (2021). PRISMA-S: An extension to the PRISMA statement for reporting literature searches in systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 10, 39

    guideline

Your notes

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Educational use only

Praxical.Psych is a teaching tool. It is not medical, clinical, psychological or legal advice, not a diagnosis, not treatment, not supervision, and not a credential. Nothing here creates a clinician–patient or solicitor–client relationship. Every patient, case, transcript and simulated session is fictional. Clinical and legal requirements vary by jurisdiction and change over time — verify anything that bears on a real decision against your own regulator, statute and current professional guidance, and consult a qualified professional.

Do not enter real patient information. If you or someone else is in crisis: US & Canada 988 · UK & Ireland 116 123 · Australia 13 11 14 · elsewhere findahelpline.com · immediate danger, your local emergency number.

Full disclaimerScope, method & limitsEthics & lawYour data

Praxical.Psych · © 2026 Moonlit Social Labs. All rights reserved.

Before you begin

What Praxical.Psych is, and is not

Praxical.Psych is an educational tool. It teaches the theory, evidence base and clinical method of psychotherapy at the level of an advanced survey course, and it lets you rehearse a complete session in a simulator.

It is not medical, clinical, psychological or legal advice. It cannot diagnose or treat anyone, and it does not state the law where you practise — requirements differ by jurisdiction and change. Nothing here creates a clinician–patient or solicitor–client relationship.

  • Every patient, transcript and case in this app is fictional — a composite written for teaching. None depicts a real person.
  • Praxical.Psych is not therapy, not a substitute for supervision, and not a credential. Competence to practise comes from training, supervised hours and licensure.
  • Scores from the instruments here are for learning how they behave. They are not a diagnosis and not a risk assessment, and must not inform a decision about a real person.
  • Do not enter real patient information. Everything you type stays in this browser, but that is not the same as a compliant clinical record system.
If you are in crisis

In the US and Canada, call or text 988. In the UK and Ireland, call 116 123 (Samaritans). Elsewhere, find a local line at findahelpline.com. In immediate danger, use your local emergency number.

Read the full disclaimer