Search strategies for "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Systems Strengthening in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): A Systematic Review on the state of the evidence"


1. Search methodology

A draft search strategy was compiled in the OvidSP Medline ALL database by an experienced information specialist. The search strategy included strings of terms and synonyms to reflect the following concepts:
Concept 1: systems strengthening
Concept 2: water, sanitation and hygiene	
Concept 3: contexts within which systems strengthening occurs
No limits were added to the search.
The search strategy was refined with the project team until the retrieved results reflected the scope of the project. Once agreed, the draft searches were adapted for each database to incorporate database-specific syntax and controlled vocabularies. 
Searches were first run on 04 August 2023, and results were updated on 19 March 2025.
This document contains full details of the search strings used for each database, with the number of results retrieved from the search run in March 2025.

2. Sources

Search strategies for were run on the following bibliographic databases on 04 August 2023 then updated on 19 March 2025:
•	OvidSP Medline ALL. 
•	OvidSP Embase Classic+Embase.
•	OvidSP Global Health
•	OvidSP Econlit
•	EBSCOhost CINAHL Complete
•	EBSCOhost Africa-Wide Information
•	Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Core Content
	This comprised the following databases which were searched simultaneously:
	o	Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), 
	o	Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI),
	o	Arts & Humanities Citation Index (SSCI),
	o	Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Science (CPCI-S),
	o	Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Social Science & Humanities (CPCI-SSH), 
	o	Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI),
•	Clarivate Analytics Web of Science SciELO
•	World Health Organization Global Index Medicus

3. Information management

All results from the database searches run in 2023 were exported and uploaded to EndNote software. Duplicates were identified and removed using the method described on the LAORS blog[1].  The order the database results were uploaded is included in the appendix. In 2025, complete results were uploaded to the same EndNote database and duplicates were removed so that only new items remained.
After duplicates were removed, remaining results were downloaded in .ris format and forwarded to the team for screening.

4. Search strategies

Search strategies are reproduced below for each source. The same search was run in each database for the initial search on 04 August 2023 and then the update on 19 March 2025. The searches below show the number of results from the searches run on 19 March 2025.

4.1. OvidSP Medline ALL

Database name	Medline ALL
Database platform	OvidSP
Dates of database coverage 	1946 to August 03, 2023, then 1946 to March 18, 2025
Date searched	2023-08-04 then 2025-03-19
Number of results	2179 then 2552
EndNote deduplication order	1
Results after duplications removed	2177 then 365
Search strategy notes:	
Search lines ending in a ‘/’ are subject heading searches.
Search lines beginning ‘exp’ are exploded subject heading searches.
Two-letter codes at the end of search lines designate the fields to search. Fields codes used are:
TI: title
AB: abstract
adjn searches for words within n words of each other.
or/x-y combines search sets in the range x-y with Boolean operator OR.
* is used for truncation of words.
? finds 0 or 1 character in that placeholder (optional wildcard).

1	systems theory/	3124
2	((system or systems) adj3 strength*).ti,ab.	8335
3	((system or systems or system*-based or system*-wide) adj1 (weak* or approach* or assess* or intervention* or mapping or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*)).ti,ab.	79862
4	(system science* or systems science* or system think* or systems think* or system initiativ* or systems initiativ* or system theor* or systems theor* or system model* or systems model* or system action* or systems action*).ti,ab.	15587
5	or/1-4	101036
6	exp Sanitation/	127396
7	water/	205215
8	drinking water/	13475
9	Water Quality/	10832
10	exp Sanitary Engineering/	147167
11	dirty water.ti,ab.	114
12	rainwater.ti,ab.	2775
13	rain-water.ti,ab.	517
14	(water adj4 (quality or treat* or safe or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or radiat* or irradiat*)).ti,ab.	116382
15	(water adj4 (stagnant* or coagulation or turbidity or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*)).ti,ab.	25731
16	(water adj4 (supply or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe? or standpipe? or pump* or handpump*)).ti,ab.	101660
17	(water adj4 (reserve or distribut* or distance or connect* or access* or quantit* or volume? or collect* or sediment*)).ti,ab.	63776
18	Hygiene/	17845
19	exp Hand Hygiene/	8496
20	exp Detergents/	36215
21	hygien*.ti,ab.	93197
22	(hand adj3 wash*).ti,ab.	4065
23	handwash*.ti,ab.	3396
24	soap?.ti,ab.	7932
25	detergent?.ti,ab.	46342
26	wash* facilit*.ti,ab.	337
27	(water adj4 (laundry or wash* or bath*)).ti,ab.	14171
28	sink?.ti,ab.	22040
29	basin?.ti,ab.	48296
30	faucet?.ti,ab.	504
31	tap?.ti,ab.	56339
32	bucket?.ti,ab.	2541
33	bowl?.ti,ab.	3879
34	exp Waste Water/	73383
35	(wastewater or waste-water).ti,ab.	93072
36	(inanimate adj2 environment*).ti,ab.	149
37	sanita*.ti,ab.	37161
38	toilet*.ti,ab.	8439
39	latrine?.ti,ab.	2056
40	(potty or potties).ti,ab.	111
41	pit?.ti,ab.	26968
42	(privy or privies).ti,ab.	192
43	wc.ti,ab.	14159
44	water closet?.ti,ab.	66
45	pour flush.ti,ab.	35
46	shower?.ti,ab.	3033
47	(sewage or sewerage).ti,ab.	28596
48	sewer?.ti,ab.	3896
49	septic tank?.ti,ab.	841
50	open defecation.ti,ab.	525
51	grease trap?.ti,ab.	56
52	(faeces adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	1208
53	(faeces adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	859
54	(feces adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	3096
55	(feces adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	1859
56	(faecal adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	3103
57	(faecal adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	3056
58	(fecal adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	8371
59	(fecal adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	7356
60	(excre* adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	1802
61	(excre* adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	5449
62	(defecat* adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	159
63	(defecat* adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	964
64	((solid? adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) not solid tumo?r).ti,ab.	5404
65	((solid? adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)) not solid tumo?r).ti,ab.	22272
66	or/6-65	1003061
67	Capacity Building/	3797
68	capacity build*.ti,ab.	7594
69	(non-linear or nonlinear).ti,ab.	156558
70	build* block*.ti,ab.	42821
71	Government Regulation/	21999
72	Leadership/	50355
73	Program Evaluation/	68883
74	collaborat*.ti,ab.	237951
75	fuzzy.ti,ab.	18780
76	fundamental*.ti,ab.	302039
77	interconnect*.ti,ab.	50863
78	(tool or tools).ti,ab.	1126727
79	application*.ti,ab.	1863803
80	infrastructure*.ti,ab.	69285
81	regulat*.ti,ab.	2512648
82	(leadership or leader).ti,ab.	78719
83	sustain*.ti,ab.	555585
84	maintain*.ti,ab.	882374
85	network*.ti,ab.	833148
86	interact*.ti,ab.	2125608
87	interdependen*.ti,ab.	22896
88	(restore* or restorat*).ti,ab.	390859
89	context*.ti,ab.	760308
90	context*.ti,ab.	760308
91	adapt*.ti,ab.	796670
92	cascad*.ti,ab.	155849
93	dependenc*.ti,ab.	339265
94	or/67-93	10052012
95	5 and 66 and 94	2573
96	remove duplicates from 95	2552

4.2 Ovid Embase Classic+Embase

Database name	Embase Classic+Embase
Database platform	Ovid
Dates of database coverage 	1947 to 2023 August 03, then 1947 to 2025 March 18.
Date searched	2023-08-04 then 2025-03-19
Number of results	4278 then 4900
EndNote deduplication order	2
Results after duplications removed	2515 then 373
Search strategy notes:	
Search lines ending in a ‘/’ are subject heading searches.
Search lines beginning ‘exp’ are exploded subject heading searches.
Two-letter codes at the end of search lines designate the fields to search. Fields codes used are:
TI: title
AB: abstract
adjn searches for words within n words of each other.
or/x-y combines search sets in the range x-y with Boolean operator OR.
* is used for truncation of words.
? finds 0 or 1 character in that placeholder (optional wildcard).

1	systems theory/	3326
2	exp systems science/	333
3	system analysis/	24355
4	((system or systems) adj3 strength*).ti,ab.	9293
5	((system or systems or system*-based or system*-wide) adj1 (weak* or approach* or assess* or intervention* or mapping or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*)).ti,ab.	95398
6	(system science* or systems science* or system think* or systems think* or system initiativ* or systems initiativ* or system theor* or systems theor* or system model* or systems model* or system action* or systems action*).ti,ab.	17031
7	or/1-6	139007
8	exp sanitation/	632339
9	water/ or drinking water/ or tap water/ or well water/	494809
10	exp water quality/	58568
11	dirty water.ti,ab.	183
12	rainwater.ti,ab.	3900
13	rain-water.ti,ab.	961
14	(water adj4 (quality or treat* or safe or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or radiat* or irradiat*)).ti,ab.	142135
15	(water adj4 (stagnant* or coagulation or turbidity or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*)).ti,ab.	30840
16	(water adj4 (supply or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe? or standpipe? or pump* or handpump*)).ti,ab.	132020
17	(water adj4 (reserve or distribut* or distance or connect* or access* or quantit* or volume? or collect* or sediment*)).ti,ab.	77635
18	hygiene/	54295
19	personal hygiene/	7366
20	hand washing/	21833
21	detergent/	24891
22	soap/	7595
23	hygien*.ti,ab.	128121
24	(hand adj3 wash*).ti,ab.	5747
25	handwash*.ti,ab.	3901
26	soap?.ti,ab.	11534
27	detergent?.ti,ab.	53438
28	wash* facilit*.ti,ab.	473
29	(water adj4 (laundry or wash* or bath*)).ti,ab.	20183
30	sink?.ti,ab.	23398
31	basin?.ti,ab.	54981
32	faucet?.ti,ab.	679
33	tap?.ti,ab.	77629
34	bucket?.ti,ab.	3128
35	bowl?.ti,ab.	4794
36	exp wastewater/	49471
37	(wastewater or waste-water).ti,ab.	112539
38	(inanimate adj2 environment*).ti,ab.	172
39	sanita*.ti,ab.	43521
40	bathroom equipment/ or bath/ or toilet/	20282
41	toilet*.ti,ab.	12539
42	latrine?.ti,ab.	2293
43	(potty or potties).ti,ab.	158
44	pit?.ti,ab.	33181
45	(privy or privies).ti,ab.	275
46	wc.ti,ab.	20727
47	water closet?.ti,ab.	88
48	pour flush.ti,ab.	36
49	shower?.ti,ab.	4493
50	(sewage or sewerage).ti,ab.	40372
51	sewer?.ti,ab.	5872
52	septic tank?.ti,ab.	1282
53	open defecation.ti,ab.	605
54	grease trap?.ti,ab.	69
55	(faeces adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	1520
56	(faeces adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	1143
57	(feces adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	3929
58	(feces adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	2249
59	(faecal adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	3829
60	(faecal adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	4210
61	(faecal adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	4210
62	(fecal adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	10826
63	(fecal adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	9782
64	(excre* adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	2382
65	(excre* adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	7947
66	(defecat* adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	213
67	(defecat* adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	1614
68	((solid? adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) not solid tumo?r).ti,ab.	7121
69	((solid? adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)) not solid tumo?r).ti,ab.	30943
70	feces/	100644
71	exp liquid waste/	127954
72	exp sewage treatment/	16731
73	or/8-72	1821747
74	capacity building/	8511
75	government regulation/	29792
76	leadership/	101158
77	program evaluation/	20526
78	capacity build*.ti,ab.	9489
79	(non-linear or nonlinear).ti,ab.	152444
80	build* block*.ti,ab.	43143
81	collaborat*.ti,ab.	331179
82	fuzzy.ti,ab.	21257
83	fundamental*.ti,ab.	341573
84	interconnect*.ti,ab.	53246
85	(tool or tools).ti,ab.	1473853
86	application*.ti,ab.	2124363
87	infrastructure*.ti,ab.	80158
88	regulat*.ti,ab.	3092470
89	(leadership or leader).ti,ab.	95649
90	sustain*.ti,ab.	699770
91	maintain*.ti,ab.	1175312
92	network*.ti,ab.	994987
93	interact*.ti,ab.	2430468
94	interdependen*.ti,ab.	26401
95	(restore* or restorat*).ti,ab.	493378
96	context*.ti,ab.	891070
97	adapt*.ti,ab.	976951
98	cascad*.ti,ab.	187441
99	dependenc*.ti,ab.	391188
100	or/74-99	12188437
101	7 and 73 and 100	4938
102	remove duplicates from 101	4900

4.3 Ovid Global Health

Database name	Global Health
Database platform	Ovid
Dates of database coverage 	1910 to 2023 Week 30 then 1910 to 2025 Week 11
Date searched	2023-08-04 then 2025-03-19
Number of results	901 then 1036
EndNote deduplication order	3
Results after duplications removed	521 then 42
Search strategy notes:	
Search lines ending in a ‘/’ are subject heading searches.
Search lines beginning ‘exp’ are exploded subject heading searches.
Two-letter codes at the end of search lines designate the fields to search. Fields codes used are:
TI: title
AB: abstract
adjn searches for words within n words of each other.
or/x-y combines search sets in the range x-y with Boolean operator OR.
* is used for truncation of words.
? finds 0 or 1 character in that placeholder (optional wildcard).

1	((system or systems) adj3 strength*).ti,ab.	5558
2	((system or systems or system*-based or system*-wide) adj1 (weak* or approach* or assess* or intervention* or mapping or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*)).ti,ab.	12331
3	(system science* or systems science* or system think* or systems think* or system initiativ* or systems initiativ* or system theor* or systems theor* or system model* or systems model* or system action* or systems action*).ti,ab.	2728
4	or/1-3	19134
5	exp sanitation/	20499
6	water/	28031
7	exp drinking water/ or tap water/	55583
8	water quality/	74267
9	dirty water.ti,ab.	207
10	rainwater.ti,ab.	2221
11	rain-water.ti,ab.	850
12	(water adj4 (quality or treat* or safe or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or radiat* or irradiat*)).ti,ab.	79917
13	(water adj4 (stagnant* or coagulation or turbidity or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*)).ti,ab.	23178
14	(water adj4 (supply or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe? or standpipe? or pump* or handpump*)).ti,ab.	89854
15	hygiene/ or hand washing/	38806
16	exp detergents/ or soaps/	3133
17	hygien*.ti,ab.	68025
18	(hand adj3 wash*).ti,ab.	4140
19	handwash*.ti,ab.	2863
20	soap?.ti,ab.	6448
21	detergent?.ti,ab.	6918
22	wash* facilit*.ti,ab.	580
23	(water adj4 (laundry or wash* or bath*)).ti,ab.	11632
24	sink?.ti,ab.	2926
25	basin?.ti,ab.	16836
26	faucet?.ti,ab.	355
27	tap?.ti,ab.	17674
28	bucket?.ti,ab.	1209
29	bowl?.ti,ab.	1242
30	wastewater/	59029
31	(wastewater or waste-water).ti,ab.	51022
32	(inanimate adj2 environment*).ti,ab.	82
33	exp latrines/ or toilets/	3761
34	sewage/ or septic tanks/ or sewerage/	28267
35	sanita*.ti,ab.	43201
36	toilet*.ti,ab.	5567
37	latrine?.ti,ab.	4186
38	(potty or potties).ti,ab.	32
39	pit?.ti,ab.	8388
40	(privy or privies).ti,ab.	414
41	wc.ti,ab.	7333
42	water closet?.ti,ab.	190
43	pour flush.ti,ab.	59
44	shower?.ti,ab.	1512
45	(sewage or sewerage).ti,ab.	36326
46	sewer?.ti,ab.	4648
47	septic tank?.ti,ab.	1849
48	open defecation.ti,ab.	890
49	grease trap?.ti,ab.	69
50	(faeces adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	2481
51	(faeces adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	1918
52	(feces adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	1405
53	(feces adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	1096
54	(faecal adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	3480
55	(faecal adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	3866
56	(fecal adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	4381
57	(fecal adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	4065
58	(excre* adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	1217
59	(excre* adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	2375
60	(defecat* adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	82
61	(defecat* adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	367
62	((solid? adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) not solid tumo?r).ti,ab.	3624
63	((solid? adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)) not solid tumo?r).ti,ab.	5356
64	or/5-63	402273
65	exp regulations/	23693
66	leadership/	3088
67	evaluation/ or project appraisal/	74211
68	capacity build*.ti,ab.	5733
69	(non-linear or nonlinear).ti,ab.	14073
70	build* block*.ti,ab.	1826
71	collaborat*.ti,ab.	52773
72	fuzzy.ti,ab.	3282
73	fundamental*.ti,ab.	30266
74	interconnect*.ti,ab.	4666
75	(tool or tools).ti,ab.	187709
76	application*.ti,ab.	284321
77	infrastructure*.ti,ab.	29546
78	regulat*.ti,ab.	316451
79	(leadership or leader).ti,ab.	14269
80	sustain*.ti,ab.	136622
81	maintain*.ti,ab.	156531
82	network*.ti,ab.	95983
83	interact*.ti,ab.	240837
84	interdependen*.ti,ab.	2997
85	(restore* or restorat*).ti,ab.	45545
86	context*.ti,ab.	156509
87	adapt*.ti,ab.	123242
88	cascad*.ti,ab.	13834
89	dependenc*.ti,ab.	31448
90	or/65-89	1577265
91	4 and 64 and 90	1197
92	remove duplicates from 91	1036

4.4 Ovid Econlit

Database name	Econlit
Database platform	Ovid
Dates of database coverage 	1886 to July 27, 2023 then 1886 to March 13, 2025
Date searched	2023-08-04 then 2025-03-19
Number of results	91 then 103
EndNote deduplication order	4
Results after duplications removed	86 then 4
Search strategy notes:	
Search lines ending in a ‘/’ are subject heading searches.
Search lines beginning ‘exp’ are exploded subject heading searches.
Two-letter codes at the end of search lines designate the fields to search. Fields codes used are:
TI: title
AB: abstract
adjn searches for words within n words of each other.
or/x-y combines search sets in the range x-y with Boolean operator OR.
* is used for truncation of words.
? finds 0 or 1 character in that placeholder (optional wildcard).

1	((system or systems) adj3 strength*).ti,ab.	646
2	((system or systems or system*-based or system*-wide) adj1 (weak* or approach* or assess* or intervention* or mapping or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*)).ti,ab.	6293
3	(system science* or systems science* or system think* or systems think* or system initiativ* or systems initiativ* or system theor* or systems theor* or system model* or systems model* or system action* or systems action*).ti,ab.	1835
4	or/1-3	8205
5	dirty water.ti,ab.	5
6	rainwater.ti,ab.	74
7	rain-water.ti,ab.	8
8	(water adj4 (quality or treat* or safe or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or radiat* or irradiat*)).ti,ab.	3024
9	(water adj4 (stagnant* or coagulation or turbidity or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*)).ti,ab.	177
10	(water adj4 (supply or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe? or standpipe? or pump* or handpump*)).ti,ab.	3158
11	hygien*.ti,ab.	564
12	(hand adj3 wash*).ti,ab.	21
13	handwash*.ti,ab.	34
14	soap?.ti,ab.	103
15	detergent?.ti,ab.	93
16	wash* facilit*.ti,ab.	8
17	(water adj4 (laundry or wash* or bath*)).ti,ab.	88
18	sink?.ti,ab.	542
19	basin?.ti,ab.	3326
20	faucet?.ti,ab.	4
21	tap?.ti,ab.	993
22	bucket?.ti,ab.	142
23	bowl?.ti,ab.	288
24	(wastewater or waste-water).ti,ab.	694
25	(inanimate adj2 environment*).ti,ab.	0
26	sanita*.ti,ab.	2272
27	toilet*.ti,ab.	222
28	latrine?.ti,ab.	77
29	(potty or potties).ti,ab.	3
30	pit?.ti,ab.	627
31	(privy or privies).ti,ab.	42
32	wc.ti,ab.	91
33	water closet?.ti,ab.	1
34	pour flush.ti,ab.	1
35	shower?.ti,ab.	67
36	(sewage or sewerage).ti,ab.	453
37	sewer?.ti,ab.	140
38	septic tank?.ti,ab.	7
39	open defecation.ti,ab.	64
40	grease trap?.ti,ab.	0
41	(faeces adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	0
42	(faeces adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	1
43	(feces adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	0
44	(feces adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	0
45	(faecal adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	3
46	(faecal adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	3
47	(fecal adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	1
48	(fecal adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	8
49	(excre* adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	6
50	(excre* adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	5
51	(defecat* adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)).ti,ab.	0
52	(defecat* adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)).ti,ab.	6
53	((solid? adj3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) not solid tumo?r).ti,ab.	417
54	((solid? adj5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)) not solid tumo?r).ti,ab.	99
55	or/5-54	14881
56	capacity build*.ti,ab.	1185
57	(non-linear or nonlinear).ti,ab.	22863
58	build* block*.ti,ab.	1160
59	collaborat*.ti,ab.	12470
60	fuzzy.ti,ab.	3650
61	fundamental*.ti,ab.	32118
62	interconnect*.ti,ab.	4781
63	(tool or tools).ti,ab.	39062
64	application*.ti,ab.	69843
65	infrastructure*.ti,ab.	25213
66	regulat*.ti,ab.	88483
67	(leadership or leader).ti,ab.	15086
68	sustain*.ti,ab.	64997
69	maintain*.ti,ab.	22254
70	network*.ti,ab.	55134
71	interact*.ti,ab.	53731
72	interdependen*.ti,ab.	10061
73	(restore* or restorat*).ti,ab.	4925
74	context*.ti,ab.	88992
75	adapt*.ti,ab.	27555
76	cascad*.ti,ab.	960
77	dependenc*.ti,ab.	25373
78	or/56-77	508950
79	4 and 55 and 78	103

4.5 Web of Science Core Collection

Database name	Web of Science Core Collection, which consists of the following databases, searched simultaneously:
	• Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)
	• Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)
	• Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI)
	• Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science (CPCI-S)
	• Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Social Sciences & Humanities (CPCI-SSH)
	• Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)
Database platform	Clarivate Analytics
Dates of database coverage:
	• SCI-EXPANDED 1970-present
	• SSCI 1970-present
	• AHCI 1975-present
	• CPCI-S 1990-present
	• CPCI-SSH 1990-present
	• ESCI 2018-present
	Data last updated 2023-08-02 then 2025-03-17
Date searched	2023-08-04 then 2025-03-19
Number of results	12,524 then 14,304
EndNote deduplication order	5
Results after duplications removed	10,719 then 1999
Search strategy notes:	
Two-letter codes at the beginning of search strings designate the fields to search. Fields codes used are:
TI: title
AB: abstract
NEARn searches for words within n words of each other.
* is used for truncation of words.
$ finds 0 or 1 character in that placeholder (optional wildcard).

1	TI=("capacity build*" or "non-linear" or "nonlinear" or "build* block*" or regulat* or collaborat* or "fuzzy" or fundamental* or interconnect* or "tool" or "tools" or application* or infrastructure* or regulat* or "leadership" or "leader" or sustain* or maintain* or network* or interact* or interdependen* or restore* or restorat* or context* or adapt* or cascad* or dependenc*) or AB=("capacity build*" or "non-linear" or "nonlinear" or "build* block*" or regulat* or collaborat* or "fuzzy" or fundamental* or interconnect* or "tool" or "tools" or application* or infrastructure* or regulat* or "leadership" or "leader" or sustain* or maintain* or network* or interact* or interdependen* or restore* or restorat* or context* or adapt* or cascad* or dependenc*)	23167395
2	TI=(solid$ NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=(solid$ NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	21861
3	TI=(solid$ NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=(solid$ NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	57028
4	TI=(defecat* NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=(defecat* NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	1086
5	TI=(defecat* NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=(defecat* NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	250
6	TI=(excre* NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=(excre* NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	2884
7	TI=(excre* NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=(excre* NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	6997
8	TI=("fecal" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=("fecal" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	9791
9	TI=("fecal" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=("fecal" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	10200
10	TI=("faecal" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=("faecal" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	4200
11	TI=("faecal" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=("faecal" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	4013
12	TI=("feces" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=("feces" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	2503
13	TI=("faeces" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=("faeces" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	1141
14	TI=("feces" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=("feces" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	4615
15	TI=("faeces" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=("faeces" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	2146
16	TI=("wastewater" or "waste-water" or ("inanimate" near/2 environment*) or sanita* or toilet* or latrine$ or "potty" or "potties" or pit$ or "privy" or "privies" or "wc" or "water closet$" or "pour flush" or shower$ or "sewerage" or sewer$ or "septic tank$" or "open defecation" or "grease trap$") or AB=("wastewater" or "waste-water" or ("inanimate" near/2 environment*) or sanita* or toilet* or latrine$ or "potty" or "potties" or pit$ or "privy" or "privies" or "wc" or "water closet$" or "pour flush" or shower$ or "sewerage" or sewer$ or "septic tank$" or "open defecation" or "grease trap$")	463356
17	TI=("wash* facilit*" or ("water" NEAR/4 ("laundry" or wash* or bath*)) or sink$ or basin$ or faucet$ or tap$ or bucket$ or bowl$) or AB=("wash* facilit*" or ("water" NEAR/4 ("laundry" or wash* or bath*)) or sink$ or basin$ or faucet$ or tap$ or bucket$ or bowl$)	678450
18	TI=(hygien* or ("hand" NEAR/3 wash*) or handwash* or soap$ or detergent$) or AB=(hygien* or ("hand" NEAR/3 wash*) or handwash* or soap$ or detergent$)	161060
19: TI=("water" NEAR/4 ("reserve" or distribut* or "distance" or connect* or access* or quantit* or volume$ or collect* or sediment*)) or AB=("water" NEAR/4 ("reserve" or distribut* or "distance" or connect* or access* or quantit* or volume$ or collect* or sediment*))				Results: 231986
20	TI=("water" NEAR/4 ("supply" or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe$ or standpipe$ or pump* or handpump*)) or AB=("water" NEAR/4 ("supply" or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe$ or standpipe$ or pump* or handpump*))	255174
21	TI=("water" NEAR/4 (stagnant* or "coagulation" or "turbidity" or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*)) or AB=("water" NEAR/4 (stagnant* or "coagulation" or "turbidity" or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*))	58429
22	TI=("water" NEAR/4 ("quality" or treat* or "safe" or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or radiat* or irradiat*)) or AB=("water" NEAR/4 ("quality" or treat* or "safe" or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or radiat* or irradiat*))	394258
23	TI=("dirty water" or "waste water" or "rainwater" or "rain-water") or AB=("dirty water" or "waste water" or "rainwater" or "rain-water")	39521
24	#2 OR #3 OR #4 OR #5 OR #6 OR #7 OR #8 OR #9 OR #10 OR #11 OR #12 OR #13 OR #14 OR #15 OR #16 OR #17 OR #18 OR #19 OR #20 OR #21 OR #22 OR #23	2028416
25	TI=("system science*" or "systems science*" or "system dynamic*" or "systems dynamic*" or "systems think*" or "system think*" or "system initiativ*" or "systems initiativ*" or "system theor*" or "systems theor*" or "system model*" or "systems model*" or "system action*" or "systems action*") or AB=("system science*" or "systems science*" or "system dynamic*" or "systems dynamic*" or "systems think*" or "system think*" or "system initiativ*" or "systems initiativ*" or "system theor*" or "systems theor*" or "system model*" or "systems model*" or "system action*" or "systems action*")	144875
26	TI=(("system" or "systems" or "system*-based" or "system*-wide") NEAR/1 (weak* or approach* or access* or intervention* or "mapping" or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*)) or AB=(("system" or "systems" or "system*-based" or "system*-wide") NEAR/1 (weak* or approach* or access* or intervention* or "mapping" or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*))	524697
27	TI=(("system" or "systems") NEAR/3 strength*) or AB=(("system" or "systems") NEAR/3 strength*)	25236
28	#25 OR #26 OR #27	630729
29	#1 AND #24 AND #28	14304

4.6 SciELO Citation Index

Database name	SciELO Citation Index
Database platform	Clarivate Analytics Web of Science
Dates of database coverage:	2022-present. Data last updated 2023-08-02 then 2025-03-17
Date searched	2023-08-04 then 2025-03-19
Number of results	214 then 235
EndNote deduplication order	6
Results after duplications removed	135 then 20
Search strategy notes:	
Two-letter codes at the beginning of search strings designate the fields to search. Fields codes used are:
TI: title
AB: abstract
NEARn searches for words within n words of each other.
* is used for truncation of words.
$ finds 0 or 1 character in that placeholder (optional wildcard).

1	TI=("capacity build*" or "non-linear" or "nonlinear" or "build* block*" or regulat* or collaborat* or "fuzzy" or fundamental* or interconnect* or "tool" or "tools" or application* or infrastructure* or regulat* or "leadership" or "leader" or sustain* or maintain* or network* or interact* or interdependen* or restore* or restorat* or context* or adapt* or cascad* or dependenc*) or AB=("capacity build*" or "non-linear" or "nonlinear" or "build* block*" or regulat* or collaborat* or "fuzzy" or fundamental* or interconnect* or "tool" or "tools" or application* or infrastructure* or regulat* or "leadership" or "leader" or sustain* or maintain* or network* or interact* or interdependen* or restore* or restorat* or context* or adapt* or cascad* or dependenc*)	342843
2	TI=(solid$ NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=(solid$ NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	741
3	TI=(solid$ NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=(solid$ NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	734
4	TI=(defecat* NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=(defecat* NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	18
5	TI=(defecat* NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=(defecat* NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	5
6	TI=(excre* NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=(excre* NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	235
7	TI=(excre* NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=(excre* NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	125
8	TI=("fecal" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=("fecal" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	328
9	TI=("fecal" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=("fecal" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	330
10	TI=("faecal" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=("faecal" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	88
11	TI=("faecal" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=("faecal" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	77
12	TI=("feces" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=("feces" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	119
13	TI=("faeces" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*)) or AB=("faeces" NEAR/5 ("safe" or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or "re-contaminat*" or incinerat* or burn* or "fire" or compost*))	25
14	TI=("feces" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=("feces" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	388
15	TI=("faeces" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)) or AB=("faeces" NEAR/3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))	67
16	TI=("wastewater" or "waste-water" or ("inanimate" near/2 environment*) or sanita* or toilet* or latrine$ or "potty" or "potties" or pit$ or "privy" or "privies" or "wc" or "water closet$" or "pour flush" or shower$ or "sewerage" or sewer$ or "septic tank$" or "open defecation" or "grease trap$") or AB=("wastewater" or "waste-water" or ("inanimate" near/2 environment*) or sanita* or toilet* or latrine$ or "potty" or "potties" or pit$ or "privy" or "privies" or "wc" or "water closet$" or "pour flush" or shower$ or "sewerage" or sewer$ or "septic tank$" or "open defecation" or "grease trap$")	21645
17	TI=("wash* facilit*" or ("water" NEAR/4 ("laundry" or wash* or bath*)) or sink$ or basin$ or faucet$ or tap$ or bucket$ or bowl$) or AB=("wash* facilit*" or ("water" NEAR/4 ("laundry" or wash* or bath*)) or sink$ or basin$ or faucet$ or tap$ or bucket$ or bowl$)	11815
18	TI=(hygien* or ("hand" NEAR/3 wash*) or handwash* or soap$ or detergent$) or AB=(hygien* or ("hand" NEAR/3 wash*) or handwash* or soap$ or detergent$)	7171
19	TI=("water" NEAR/4 ("reserve" or distribut* or "distance" or connect* or access* or quantit* or volume$ or collect* or sediment*)) or AB=("water" NEAR/4 ("reserve" or distribut* or "distance" or connect* or access* or quantit* or volume$ or collect* or sediment*))	4245
20	TI=("water" NEAR/4 ("supply" or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe$ or standpipe$ or pump* or handpump*)) or AB=("water" NEAR/4 ("supply" or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe$ or standpipe$ or pump* or handpump*))	5814
21	TI=("water" NEAR/4 (stagnant* or "coagulation" or "turbidity" or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*)) or AB=("water" NEAR/4 (stagnant* or "coagulation" or "turbidity" or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*))	1478
22	TI=("water" NEAR/4 ("quality" or treat* or "safe" or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or radiat* or irradiat*)) or AB=("water" NEAR/4 ("quality" or treat* or "safe" or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or radiat* or irradiat*))	7543
23	TI=("dirty water" or "waste water" or "rainwater" or "rain-water") or AB=("dirty water" or "waste water" or "rainwater" or "rain-water")	637
24	#23 OR #22 OR #21 OR #20 OR #19 OR #18 OR #17 OR #16 OR #15 OR #14 OR #13 OR #12 OR #11 OR #10 OR #9 OR #8 OR #7 OR #6 OR #5 OR #4 OR #3 OR #2	53255
25	TI=("system science*" or "systems science*" or "system dynamic*" or "systems dynamic*" or "systems think*" or "system think*" or "system initiativ*" or "systems initiativ*" or "system theor*" or "systems theor*" or "system model*" or "systems model*" or "system action*" or "systems action*") or AB=("system science*" or "systems science*" or "system dynamic*" or "systems dynamic*" or "systems think*" or "system think*" or "system initiativ*" or "systems initiativ*" or "system theor*" or "systems theor*" or "system model*" or "systems model*" or "system action*" or "systems action*")	1059
26	TI=(("system" or "systems" or "system*-based" or "system*-wide") NEAR/1 (weak* or approach* or access* or intervention* or "mapping" or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*)) or AB=(("system" or "systems" or "system*-based" or "system*-wide") NEAR/1 (weak* or approach* or access* or intervention* or "mapping" or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*))	4155
27	TI=(("system" or "systems") NEAR/3 strength*) or AB=(("system" or "systems") NEAR/3 strength*)	605
28	#27 OR #26 OR #25	5336
29	#28 AND #24 AND #1	235

4.7 EBSCOhost CINAHL Complete

Database name	CINAHL Complete
Database platform	EBSCOhost
Dates of database coverage:	Complete database to search date
Date searched	2023-08-04 then 2025-03-19
Number of results	349 then 395
EndNote deduplication order	7
Results after duplications removed	94 then 38
Search strategy notes:	
Two-letter codes at the beginning of search strings designate the fields to search. Fields codes used are:
TI: title
AB: abstract
Nn searches for words within n words of each other.
* is used for truncation of words.
# finds 0 or 1 character in that placeholder (optional wildcard).

S1	(MH "Systems Theory+")	2,775
S2	(TI ((system or systems) N3 strength*))) or (AB ((system or systems) N3 strength*)))	3,419
S3	(TI ((system or systems or "system*-based" or "system*-wide") N1 (weak* or approach* or assess* or intervention* or mapping or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*))) or (AB ((system or systems or "system*-based" or "system*-wide") N1 (weak* or approach* or assess* or intervention* or mapping or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*)))	27,962
S4	(TI (("system science*" or "systems science*" or "system think*" or "systems think*" or "system initiativ*" or "systems initiativ*" or "system theor*" or "systems theor*" or "system model*" or "systems model*" or "system action*" or "systems action*")) or (AB (("system science*" or "systems science*" or "system think*" or "systems think*" or "system initiativ*" or "systems initiativ*" or "system theor*" or "systems theor*" or "system model*" or "systems model*" or "system action*" or "systems action*"))	4,368
S5	S1 OR S2 OR S3 OR S4	35,300
S6	(MH "Sanitation+")	16,519
S7	(MH "Water") OR (MH "Mineral Water")	11,218
S8	(AB "dirty water") or (TI "dirty water")	22
S9	(AB (rainwater or "rain-water")) or (TI (rainwater or "rain-water"))	95
S10	(AB (water N4 (quality or treat* or safe or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or fadiat* or irradiat*))) or (TI (water N4 (quality or treat* or safe or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or fadiat* or irradiat*)))	6,274
S11	(AB (water N4 (stagnant* or coagulation or turbidity or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*))) or (TI (water N4 (stagnant* or coagulation or turbidity or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*)))	1,847
S12	(AB (water N4 (supply or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe# or standpipe# or pump* or handpump*))) or (TI (water N4 (supply or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe# or standpipe# or pump* or handpump*)))	9,964
S13	(AB (water N4 (reserve or distribut* or distance or connect* or access* or quantit* or volume# or collect* or sediment*))) or (TI (water N4 (reserve or distribut* or distance or connect* or access* or quantit* or volume# or collect* or sediment*)))	3,790
S14	(MH "Hygiene")	6,528
S15	(MH "Handwashing")	10,164
S16	(MH "Detergents+")	1,947
S17	(TI hygien*) or (AB hygien*)	26,722
S18	(AB ((hand N3 wash*) or handwash*)) or (TI ((hand N3 wash*) or handwash*))	3,713
S19	(AB (soap# or detergent# or "wash* facilit*")) or (TI (soap# or detergent# or "wash* facilit*"))	3,048
S20	(AB (water N4 (laundry or wash or bath*))) or (TI (water N4 (laundry or wash or bath*)))	1,241
S21	(AB (sink# or basin# or faucet# or tap# or bucket# or bowl#)) or (TI (sink# or basin# or faucet# or tap# or bucket# or bowl#))	15,541
S22	(MH "Sewage") OR (MH "Toilet Facilities")	1,988
S23	(AB (wastewater or "waste-water")) or (TI (wastewater or "waste-water"))	1,217
S24	(AB (inanimate N2 environment*)) or (TI (inanimate N2 environment*))	27
S25	(AB (sanita* or toilet* or latrine# or potty or potties or pit# or privy or privies or wc or "water closet#" or "pour flush" or shower# or sewage or sewerage or sewer# or "septic tank#" or "open defecation" or "grease trap#")) or (TI (sanita* or toilet* or latrine# or potty or potties or pit# or privy or privies or wc or "water closet#" or "pour flush" or shower# or sewage or sewerage or sewer# or "septic tank#" or "open defecation" or "grease trap#"))	20,464
S26	(AB (faeces N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (faeces N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	319
S27	(AB (feces N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (feces N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	319
S28	(AB (faecal N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (faecal N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	1,147
S29	(AB (fecal N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (fecal N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	1,147
S30	(AB (excre* N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (excre* N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	199
S31	(AB (defecat* N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (defecat* N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	46
S32	((AB (solid# N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (solid# N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))) NOT "solid tumo#r"	606
S33	(AB (faeces N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (faeces N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	205
S34	(AB (feces N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (feces N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	205
S35	(AB (faecal N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (faecal N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	1,388
S36	(AB (fecal N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (fecal N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	1,388
S37	(AB (excre* N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (excre* N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	510
S38	(AB (defecat* N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (defecat* N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	238
S39	((AB (solid# N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (solid# N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))) not "solid tumo#r"	2,543
S40	S6 OR S7 OR S8 OR S9 OR S10 OR S11 OR S12 OR S13 OR S14 OR S15 OR S16 OR S17 OR S18 OR S19 OR S20 OR S21 OR S22 OR S23 OR S24 OR S25 OR S26 OR S27 OR S28 OR S29 OR S30 OR S31 OR S32 OR S33 OR S34 OR S35 OR S36 OR S37 OR S38 OR S39	112,570
S41	(MH "Government Regulations+")	21,283
S42	(MH "Leadership")	54,468
S43	(MH "Program Evaluation")	54,073
S44	(AB ("capacity build*" or "non-linear" or nonlinear or "build* block*" or collaborat* or fuzzy or fundamental* or interconnect* or tool or tools or application* or infrastructure* or regulat* or leadership or leader or sustain* or maintain* or network* or interact* or interdependen* or restore* or restorat* or context* or adapt* or cascad* or dependenc*)) or (TI ("capacity build*" or "non-linear" or nonlinear or "build* block*" or collaborat* or fuzzy or fundamental* or interconnect* or tool or tools or application* or infrastructure* or regulat* or leadership or leader or sustain* or maintain* or network* or interact* or interdependen* or restore* or restorat* or context* or adapt* or cascad* or dependenc*))	1,484,642
S45	S41 OR S42 OR S43 OR S44	1,555,925
S46	S5 AND S40 AND S45	395

4.8 EBSCOhost Africa-Wide Information

Database name	Africa-Wide Information
Database platform	EBSCOhost
Dates of database coverage:	Complete database to search date
Date searched	2023-08-04 then 2025-03-19
Number of results	465 then 543
EndNote deduplication order	8
Results after duplications removed	205 then 28
Search strategy notes:	
Two-letter codes at the beginning of search strings designate the fields to search. Fields codes used are:
TI: title
AB: abstract
Nn searches for words within n words of each other.
* is used for truncation of words.
# finds 0 or 1 character in that placeholder (optional wildcard).

S1	(TI ((system or systems) N3 strength*))) or (AB ((system or systems) N3 strength*)))	2,477
S2	(TI ((system or systems or "system*-based" or "system*-wide") N1 (weak* or approach* or assess* or intervention* or mapping or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*))) or (AB ((system or systems or "system*-based" or "system*-wide") N1 (weak* or approach* or assess* or intervention* or mapping or analys* or engage* or change* or think* or complex* or resilien* or dynamic*)))	8,836
S3	(TI (("system science*" or "systems science*" or "system think*" or "systems think*" or "system initiativ*" or "systems initiativ*" or "system theor*" or "systems theor*" or "system model*" or "systems model*" or "system action*" or "systems action*")) or (AB (("system science*" or "systems science*" or "system think*" or "systems think*" or "system initiativ*" or "systems initiativ*" or "system theor*" or "systems theor*" or "system model*" or "systems model*" or "system action*" or "systems action*"))	1,605
S4	S1 OR S2 OR S3	12,092
S5	(AB "dirty water") or (TI "dirty water")	87
S6	(AB (rainwater or "rain-water")) or (TI (rainwater or "rain-water"))	1,056
S7	(AB (water N4 (quality or treat* or safe or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or fadiat* or irradiat*))) or (TI (water N4 (quality or treat* or safe or improv* or puri* or chlor* or filtr* or filter* or floccul* or fadiat* or irradiat*)))	20,744
S8	(AB (water N4 (stagnant* or coagulation or turbidity or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*))) or (TI (water N4 (stagnant* or coagulation or turbidity or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or microbiol*)))	3,929
S9	(AB (water N4 (supply or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe# or standpipe# or pump* or handpump*))) or (TI (water N4 (supply or stor* or drink* or consum* or pipe# or standpipe# or pump* or handpump*)))	19,959
S10	(AB (water N4 (reserve or distribut* or distance or connect* or access* or quantit* or volume# or collect* or sediment*))) or (TI (water N4 (reserve or distribut* or distance or connect* or access* or quantit* or volume# or collect* or sediment*)))	11,456
S11	(TI hygien*) or (AB hygien*)	12,850
S12	(AB ((hand N3 wash*) or handwash*)) or (TI ((hand N3 wash*) or handwash*))	1,208
S13	(AB (soap# or detergent# or "wash* facilit*")) or (TI (soap# or detergent# or "wash* facilit*"))	3,861
S14	(AB (water N4 (laundry or wash or bath*))) or (TI (water N4 (laundry or wash or bath*)))	1,155
S15	(AB (sink# or basin# or faucet# or tap# or bucket# or bowl#)) or (TI (sink# or basin# or faucet# or tap# or bucket# or bowl#))	21,983
S16	(AB (wastewater or "waste-water")) or (TI (wastewater or "waste-water"))	8,677
S17	(AB (inanimate N2 environment*)) or (TI (inanimate N2 environment*))	8
S18	(AB (sanita* or toilet* or latrine# or potty or potties or pit# or privy or privies or wc or "water closet#" or "pour flush" or shower# or sewage or sewerage or sewer# or "septic tank#" or "open defecation" or "grease trap#")) or (TI (sanita* or toilet* or latrine# or potty or potties or pit# or privy or privies or wc or "water closet#" or "pour flush" or shower# or sewage or sewerage or sewer# or "septic tank#" or "open defecation" or "grease trap#"))	27,616
S19	(AB (faeces N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (faeces N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	285
S20	(AB (feces N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (feces N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	250
S21	(AB (faecal N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (faecal N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	816
S22	(AB (fecal N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (fecal N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	761
S23	(AB (excre* N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (excre* N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	265
S24	(AB (defecat* N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (defecat* N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))	44
S25	((AB (solid# N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*))) or (TI (solid# N3 (dispos* or manag* or service* or collect* or stor* or segregat*)))) NOT "solid tumo#r"	1,087
S26	(AB (faeces N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (faeces N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	226
S27	(AB (feces N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (feces N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	246
S28	(AB (faecal N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (faecal N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	780
S29	(AB (fecal N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (fecal N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	678
S30	(AB (excre* N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (excre* N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	438
S31	(AB (defecat* N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (defecat* N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))	58
S32	((AB (solid# N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*))) or (TI (solid# N5 (safe or treat* or improv* or microbiol* or contaminat* or recontaminat* or re-contaminat* or incinerat* or burn* or fire or compost*)))) not "solid tumo#r"	1,039
S33	S5 OR S6 OR S7 OR S8 OR S9 OR S10 OR S11 OR S12 OR S13 OR S14 OR S15 OR S16 OR S17 OR S18 OR S19 OR S20 OR S21 OR S22 OR S23 OR S24 OR S25 OR S26 OR S27 OR S28 OR S29 OR S30 OR S31 OR S32	105,029
S34	(AB ("capacity build*" or "non-linear" or nonlinear or "build* block*" or collaborat* or fuzzy or fundamental* or interconnect* or tool or tools or application* or infrastructure* or regulat* or leadership or leader or sustain* or maintain* or network* or interact* or interdependen* or restore* or restorat* or context* or adapt* or cascad* or dependenc*)) or (TI ("capacity build*" or "non-linear" or nonlinear or "build* block*" or collaborat* or fuzzy or fundamental* or interconnect* or tool or tools or application* or infrastructure* or regulat* or leadership or leader or sustain* or maintain* or network* or interact* or interdependen* or restore* or restorat* or context* or adapt* or cascad* or dependenc*))	618,843
S35	S4 AND S33 AND S34	543

4.9 WHO Global Index Medicus

Database name	Global Index Medicus
Database platform	WHO
Dates of database coverage:	Complete database to search date
Date searched	2023-08-04 then 2025-03-19
Number of results	52 then 60
EndNote deduplication order	9
Results after duplications removed	48 then 8
Search strategy notes:	
Two-letter codes at the beginning of search strings designate the fields to search. Fields codes used are:
TW: textword
* is used for truncation of words.

tw:(("system* strength*" OR "strength* system*" OR "system* weak*" OR "weak* system*" OR "system* approach*" OR "approach* system*" OR "system* assess*" OR "assess* system*" OR "system* intervention*" OR "intervention* system*" OR "system* mapping" OR "mapping system*" OR "system* analys*" OR "analys* system*" OR "system* engage*" OR "engage* system*" OR "system* change*" OR "change* system*" OR "system* think*" OR "think* system*" OR "system* complex*" OR "complex* system*" OR "system* resilien*" OR "resilien* system*" OR "system* dynamic*" OR "dynamic* system*" OR "system science*" OR "systems science*" OR "system think*" OR "systems think*" OR "system initiativ*" OR "systems initiativ*" OR "system theor*" OR "systems theor*" OR "system model*" OR "systems model*" OR "system action*" OR "systems action*") AND ((water AND (quality OR treat* OR safe OR improv* OR puri* OR chlor* OR filtr* OR filter* OR floccul* OR radiat* OR irradiat* OR stagnant* OR coagulation OR turbidity OR contaminat* OR recontaminat* OR re-contaminat* OR microbiol* OR supply OR stor* OR drink* OR consum* OR pipe? OR standpipe? OR pump* OR handpump* OR reserve OR distribut* OR distance OR connect* OR access* OR quantit* OR volume? OR collect* OR sediment* OR laundry OR wash* OR bath*)) OR "dirty water" OR "rain-water" OR rainwater OR hygien* OR "hand wash*" OR handwash* OR soap OR soaps OR detergent* OR "wash* facilit*" OR sink OR sinks OR basin* OR faucet* OR tap OR taps OR  bucket* OR bowl* OR wastewater OR "waste-water" OR sanita* OR toilet* OR latrine* OR potty OR potties OR pit OR pits OR privy OR privies OR wc OR "water closet*" OR "pour flush" OR shower* OR sewage OR sewer* OR "septic tank*" OR "grease trap*" OR ((faeces OR feces OR faecal OR fecal OR excre* OR defecat* OR solids) AND (dispos* OR manag* OR service* OR collect* OR stor* OR segregat* OR safe OR treat* OR improv* OR microbiol* OR contaminat* OR recontaminat* OR re-contaminat* OR incinerat* OR burn* OR fire OR compost*))) AND ("capacity build*" OR "non-linear" OR "nonlinear" OR "build* block*" OR regulat* OR collaborat* OR "fuzzy" OR fundamental* OR interconnect* OR "tool" OR "tools" OR application* OR infrastructure* OR regulat* OR "leadership" OR "leader" OR sustain* OR maintain* OR network* OR interact* OR interdependen* OR restore* OR restorat* OR context* OR adapt* OR cascad* OR dependenc*))

5. References

1.	Falconer J, Removing duplicates from an EndNote library. Library & Archives Service Blog: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. 2018. [online blog] http://blogs.lshtm.ac.uk/library/2018/12/07/removing-duplicates-from-an-endnote-library/.