Exploring search strategy for systematic literature review: evidence from the International Journal of Management Reviews

Systematic literature reviews (SLRs) advance management theory and practice by synthesizing knowledge in a structured and transparent manner. However, inconsistent reporting of search strategies limits replicability and methodological rigor. To address this gap in reporting standards, the main objective of this article is to explore successful search strategies for SLRs in management research. We further propose a distinction between transparency (conceptual replication) and practical replication to clarify what constitutes a replicable review in this field. We conducted a systematic review of 57 SLRs published in the International Journal of Management Reviews and propose five criteria that search strategy reporting should meet to ensure replicability: (1) provision of a search query, (2) reporting of the query execution date, (3) indication of the search timespan, (4) clear presentation of inclusion/exclusion criteria, and (5) specification of the document sections screened (e.g., title, abstract, full text). Our findings show that most reviews support conceptual replication by providing the search query, timespan, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and screened document sections; however, practical replication remains rare due to missing details – especially the search execution date. To improve future SLRs, we recommend: (1) disclosing the review team’s underlying research paradigms and beliefs to clarify the perspective behind the synthesis, and (2) ensuring diverse team composition from the outset – or, if constrained, explicitly acknowledging such limitations. Ideally, review teams should encompass diverse contexts and paradigms aligned with the scope of the review.