Springer Nature Link (SpringerLink)

Publisher content platform. Springer Nature Link—formerly commonly called SpringerLink—provides search and access to journals, books, chapters, reference works, protocols and related content. Use it to discover and inspect records on that platform.

Stage 1 Search Log All guides

01 · Access and sign in

Open Springer Nature Link (SpringerLink)

Open Springer Nature Link directly or from your university library’s e-resource portal. A personal account is required for downloading a CSV of search results; full-text availability is indicated by access rights and may depend on institutional subscription or open access.

Open Springer Nature Link (SpringerLink) ↗Official search guide ↗Official search/export help ↗Export citations ↗

02 · Search for SLR

Search features to practise

Keyword and advanced search; title, author/editor, journal and date fields; Boolean operators and phrase matching; filters for content type, date, language and subject; CSV search-result export; and individual citation export.

Database coverage matters. Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection are citation-indexing databases. IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect and Springer Nature Link are scholarly content platforms with their own search collections. Coverage and search behaviour differ; document each source separately and justify it in your protocol.

03 · Hands-on exercise

Build and test a search

Start from your review topic and identify two or three main concepts.
List synonyms and spelling variants for each concept. Combine synonyms with OR and concept groups with AND.
Copy the sample below and replace the terms with your own concepts. Check the database help page for field syntax and operators.
Run the search, inspect a sample of titles and abstracts, and revise unclear or over-restrictive terms.
Apply only filters justified by your scope or protocol. Record the exact query and search date before moving to another source.
Export available bibliographic fields, abstracts and keywords. Check the export and import the records into Zotero; retain the original export file.

Search approach: Use Advanced Search to specify keywords, title, author/editor, journal or publication date. Combine phrase searches and Boolean operators, then refine by content type and subject where appropriate.

Adaptable example search string

("explainable artificial intelligence" OR XAI) AND ("intrusion detection" OR "anomaly detection")

Search your concept blocks, inspect article/chapter records and abstracts, and apply relevant filters. Sign in to download a CSV of results if needed. Open promising records to export individual citation files and verify metadata.

04 · Record and carry forward

What to save after this search

A search log entry, exported results/citation file where available, and one verified article or chapter relevant to your scope. Organize exported records in Zotero.

✓ Database/platform name and search date

✓ Exact query and fields searched

✓ Filters and total results retrieved

✓ Original export file and verified seed record

Important: This is a publisher platform rather than a cross-publisher citation index. Coverage and export options differ from Scopus and Web of Science; log and justify each source separately.

Record this search in the Stage 1 Search Log →Organize references in Zotero

Also see Keyword Matrix & Boolean Search · Keyword Matrix & Boolean Search · Database Selection