There are several reasons why searching the abstract is the way to go in this case:
- The abstract is written in by the author in the language of their field. This allows us to use the words that make the most sense within that field in a more natural and intuitive search than we could otherwise do.
- There's only one database (that we know of) that allows you to filter a search by methodology so we must rely upon keyword searching to discover articles by methodology
- The abstract contains vital information about the methodology
- The abstract is a searchable field in most academic databases
Because of these qualities, any search we direct at the abstract will yield more accurate results and a more intuitive search experience.
