Lint

Search-query implements various syntax validation checks (aka. linters) and prints instructive messages to inform users about potential issues. These checks help to prevent errors—an important step given that previous studies have found high error rates in search queries (Li & Rainer, 2023; Salvador-Oliván et al., 2019; Sampson & McGowan, 2006).

from search_query.parser import parse

query_string = '("digital health"[Title/Abstract]) AND ("privacy"[Title/Abstract]'
query = parse(query_string, platform="pubmed")

# Output:
# ❌ Fatal: unbalanced-parentheses (PARSE_0002)
#   - Unbalanced opening parenthesis
#   Query: ("digital health"[Title/Abstract]) AND ("privacy"[Title/Abstract]
#                                                ^^^

Parsing errors

• PARSE_0001 — tokenizing-failed
• PARSE_0002 — unbalanced-parentheses
• PARSE_0003 — unbalanced-quotes
• PARSE_0004 — invalid-token-sequence
• PARSE_0006 — invalid-syntax
• PARSE_0007 — query-in-quotes
• PARSE_0008 — unsupported-prefix
• PARSE_0009 — unsupported-suffix
• PARSE_0010 — unsupported-prefix-platform-identifier
• PARSE_1001 — list-query-missing-root-node
• PARSE_1002 — list-query-invalid-reference

Query structure errors

• STRUCT_0001 — implicit-precedence
• STRUCT_0002 — operator-capitalization
• STRUCT_0003 — boolean-operator-readability
• STRUCT_0004 — invalid-proximity-use

Term errors

• TERM_0001 — non-standard-quotes
• TERM_0002 — year-format-invalid
• TERM_0003 — doi-format-invalid
• TERM_0004 — isbn-format-invalid

Field errors

• FIELD_0001 — field-unsupported
• FIELD_0002 — field-missing
• FIELD_0003 — field-extracted
• FIELD_0004 — field-implicit

Database errors: Web of Science

• WOS_0001 — too-many-terms
• WOS_0002 — near-distance-too-large
• WOS_0003 — year-without-terms
• WOS_0004 — implicit-near-value
• WOS_0005 — year-span-violation
• WOS_0006 — wildcard-in-year
• WOS_0007 — wildcard-left-short-length
• WOS_0008 — wildcard-right-short-length
• WOS_0009 — wildcard-after-special-char
• WOS_0010 — wildcard-standalone
• WOS_0011 — wildcard-unsupported
• WOS_0012 — invalid-character

Database errors: EBSCOHost

• EBSCO_0001 — wildcard-unsupported
• EBSCO_0002 — invalid-character

Database errors: PubMed

• PUBMED_0001 — nested-query-with-field
• PUBMED_0002 — character-replacement
• PUBMED_0003 — invalid-wildcard-use

Best practice qualities

• QUALITY_0001 — query-structure-unnecessarily-complex
• QUALITY_0002 — date-filter-in-subquery
• QUALITY_0003 — journal-filter-in-subquery
• QUALITY_0004 — unnecessary-parentheses
• QUALITY_0005 — redundant-term
• QUALITY_0006 — potential-wildcard-use

References

Li, Z., & Rainer, A. (2023). Reproducible Searches in Systematic Reviews: An Evaluation and Guidelines.
  IEEE Access, 11, 84048–84060. IEEE Access. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3299211

Salvador-Oliván, J. A., Marco-Cuenca, G., & Arquero-Avilés, R. (2019).
  Errors in search strategies used in systematic reviews and their effects on information retrieval.
  Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA, 107(2), 210. doi: 10.5195/jmla.2019.567

Sampson, M., & McGowan, J. (2006). Errors in search strategies were identified by type and frequency.
  Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 59(10), 1057–1063. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2006.01.007