Search Strategy
The SPIDER (Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type) tool was
adopted to define key elements of the review question and as a means to inform and
standardise the search strategy. The SPIDER tool offers an alternative to the more frequently
applied PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) tool as it adapts the PICO
components, making them better suited to searching for qualitative research papers (Cook,
Smith and Booth, 2012). For instance, qualitative research ‘Outcomes’ “might be
unobservable, or subjective constructs (e.g., attitudes and views and so forth)” and therefore
‘Outcomes’ (O) becomes the more suitable ‘Evaluation’ (E) (Cook, Smith & Booth, 2012, p.
1437). Table 1 shows how the SPIDER tool can be applied to the research question (see
below).
Table 1. The SPIDER tool applied to the review questions
i. Sample
Donors and recipients, as well as potential donors
and recipients of sperm from online routes (to
include male and transgender donors,
heterosexual, lesbian and bisexual+ couples and
single female and transgender recipients)
ii. Phenomenon of Interest
Sperm donation resulting from a website or social
media platform
iii. Design
Published literature of any research design, grey
literature
iv. Evaluation
Characteristics, views, experiences
v. Research Type
Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods peer-
reviewed studies. Grey literature including third
sector and government reports and briefings,
educational theses, conference proceedings.
Table 2 shows the proposed search strategy mapped against the SPIDER tool:
Sample
AB sperm donor* OR TI sperm donor* OR AB
sperm recipient* OR TI sperm recipient* OR AB
lesbian famil* OR TI lesbian famil* OR AB lesbian
conception OR TI lesbian conception OR AB lesbian
conceive* OR TI lesbian conceive* OR AB bisexual
famil* OR TI bisexual famil* OR AB bisexual
conception OR TI bisexual conception OR AB
bisexual conceive* OR TI bisexual conceive* OR
AB transgender famil* OR TI transgender famil*
OR AB transgender conception OR TI transgender
conception OR AB transgender conceive* OR TI
transgender conceive* OR AB single wom* sperm
OR TI single wom* sperm
Phenomenon of Interest
AB sperm donation OR TI sperm donation OR AB
donated sperm OR TI donated sperm OR AB donor
conception OR TI donor conception OR AB donor
conceive* OR TI donor conceive* OR AB sperm
exchange OR TI sperm exchange OR AB home
insemination OR TI home insemination OR AB
private sperm don* TI private sperm don* OR AB
online sperm don* OR TI online sperm don* OR AB
internet sperm don* OR TI internet sperm don* OR
AB connection website OR TI connection website
OR AB assisted conception OR TI assisted
conception OR AB donor insemination OR TI donor
insemination
Evaluation
AB motivat* OR TI motivat* OR AB characteristic*
OR TI characteristic* OR AB experience* OR TI
experience OR AB expect* OR TI expect* OR AB
decision* OR TI decision* OR AB decide* OR TI
decide* OR AB attitude* OR TI attitude* OR AB
view* OR TI view* OR AB perception* OR TI
perception* OR AB perspective* OR TI
perspective* OR AB opinion* OR TI opinion* OR
AB impact* OR TI impact* OR AB choreograph*
OR TI choreograph* OR AB judgement* OR TI
judgement* OR AB belief* OR TI belief* OR AB
believe* OR TI believe* OR AB reflect* OR TI
reflect* OR AB impression* OR TI impression* OR
AB insight* OR TI insight* OR AB issues OR TI
issues OR AB feeling* OR TI feeling* OR AB
evaluat* OR TI evaluat* OR AB understanding* OR
TI understanding OR AB learn* OR TI learn* OR
AB know* TI know* OR AB story OR TI story OR
Table 2. Search Terms
As the review question does not target a specific study methodology, it was decided that the
‘Design’ (D) and ‘Research type’ (R) elements of SPIDER would not be included in the
search terms in order to capture articles that might not contain reference to these (i.e. to be as
inclusive as possible). Initial scoping searches were conducted which separated the ‘Sample’
(S) and ‘Phenomenon of Interest’ (PI) using AND, but this search did not produce any
results. This might have been because papers sometimes conflate the sample and the
phenomenon of interest and do not therefore include both. It was subsequently decided that
OR would be used between S and PI, e.g., (S OR PI) AND E. The search terms will be
adapted for use with each bibliographic database.
AB stories OR TI stories OR AB diar* OR TI diar*
OR AB reason* OR TI reason* OR AB transition*
OR TI transition* OR AB meaning* OR TI
meaning* OR AB account* OR TI account* OR AB
represent* OR TI represent* OR AB behav* OR TI
behav* OR AB process* OR TI process* OR AB
document* OR TI document* OR AB prefer* OR TI
prefer*)
