How do I prepare a reproducible evidence update for my thesis committee meeting?

Record the databases, search strings, dates, and filters from your original search, then rerun that same strategy and log new records separately from the prior set. The Cochrane Handbook describes documenting searches and managing records as part of planning and running a review search, and PRISMA 2020 provides a checklist and flow diagrams for reporting what methods were used and what studies were found and included.

1. Reconstruct the original search parameters. Write down each database or index, the full search string, field tags, filters, and the date the search was run. PubMed supports field tags, phrase searching, filters, and Advanced Search, so record the exact syntax you used instead of a paraphrase. Expected result: a parameter sheet you can hand to the committee.
2. Rerun the identical strategy and note the new run date. Keep the same strings and filters so the update reflects new records while the question stays fixed. Expected result: a dated result set that differs from the original only by time.
3. Log new records separately from the prior set. Compare the new results against your earlier record list and place newly identified studies in their own dated list. Expected result: a clear split between previously reviewed and newly identified studies.
4. Check coverage with a second source where your question spans fields. OpenAlex search matches text across entity fields, and its filters can narrow works by attributes such as authorship, concepts, dates, and open-access status. Expected result: a cross-check that flags records your primary database may have missed.
5. Write a dated update memo. State the search parameters, the rerun date, and the list of newly identified studies, and attach the PRISMA-style flow of records found and included. Expected result: a memo the committee can read alongside your original methods section.

Keep the memo focused on what changed since the last search. If a record is ambiguous or missing from one database, mark it unresolved and verify it against the source record before the meeting.