# Pearl growing > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pearl_growing > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pearl_growing.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_growing > Source revision: 1312916185 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) This article is about the search strategy. For the cultivation of pearls, see [Cultured pearl](/source/Cultured_pearl). **Pearl growing** is a [metaphor](/source/Metaphor) taken from the process of small bits of sand growing to make a beautiful pearl, which is used in [information literacy](/source/Information_literacy). This is also called "snowballing",[1] alluding to the process of how a snowball can grow into a big snow-man by accumulating snow. In this context this refers to the process of using one information item (like a [subject term](/source/Subject_term) or [citation](/source/Citation)) to find content that provides more information items. This search strategy is most successfully employed at the beginning of the research process as the searcher uncovers new [pearls](/source/Pearl) about his or her topic. ## Citation pearl growing Citation pearl growing is the act of using one relevant source, or [citation](/source/Citation), to find more relevant sources on a topic. The searcher usually has a document that matches a topic or information need. From this document, the searcher is able to find other keywords, descriptors and themes to use in a subsequent search.[2] Citation Pearl Growing is a popular search and retrieval method used by [librarians](/source/Librarian).[3] ## Subject pearl growing Subject pearl growing is a strategy used in an [electronic database](/source/Bibliographic_database) that has [subject](/source/Subject_term) or [keyword](/source/Keyword_(computer_programming)) descriptors. By clicking on one [subject](/source/Subject_term), the searcher is able to find other related [subjects](/source/Subject_term) and subdivisions that may or may not be useful to the search. ## Internet pearl growing Searchers use the pearl growing technique when surfing the [Internet](/source/Internet). Using the theory that websites that link to each other are similar, a searcher can move from site to site, collecting information. Ramer (2005) suggests pearl growing by using the [pearl](/source/Pearl) as a search term in [search engines](/source/Web_search_engine) or even in the [URL](/source/URL). ## Systematic literature review pearl growing In systematic literature reviews, pearl growing is a technique used to ensure all relevant articles are included. Pearl growing involves identifying a primary article that meets the inclusion criteria for the review. From this primary article, the researcher works backwards to find all the articles cited in the bibliography and checks them for eligibility for inclusion in the review. The researcher then works forwards to search for any articles that have cited the primary article. It is estimated that up to 51% of references in a systematic review are identified by pearl growing.[4] There is evidence that using pearl growing for systematic reviews is a more comprehensive approach and more likely to identify all relevant articles compared to online database searches.[5] Pearl growing, when applied to scientific literature, may also be referred to as citation mining or snowballing. ## References 1. Badampudi, Deepika; Wohlin, Claes; Petersen, Kai (2015-04-27). [*Experiences from using snowballing and database searches in systematic literature studies*](https://doi.org/10.1145/2745802.2745818). Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering. EASE '15. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery. pp. 1–10. [doi:10.1145/2745802.2745818](https://doi.org/10.1145/2745802.2745818). ISBN 978-1-4503-3350-4. 1. Markey, K. & Cochrane, P. 1981. ONTAP: Online Training and Practice Manual for ERIC Database Searchers, 2nd edn, Syracuse University, N.Y. October 1981. ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources. 1. Ramer, S (2005). "Site-ation pearl growing: Methods and librarianship history and theory". *Journal of the Medical Library Association*. **93** (3): 397–400. [PMC 1175807](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1175807). [PMID 16059431](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16059431) 1. Greenhalgh T, Peacock R. [Effectiveness and efficiency of search methods in systematic reviews of complex evidence: audit of primary sources](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16230312/). BMJ. 2005 Nov 5;331(7524):1064-5. 1. Badampudi, Deepika & Wohlin, Claes & Petersen, Kai. (2015). Experiences from using snowballing and database searches in systematic literature studies. EASE '15 Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering. DOI 10.1145/2745802.2745818. ## External links - [Citation Pearl Growing](http://newadonis.creighton.edu/HSL/searching/PearlGrowing.html/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090710113029/http://newadonis.creighton.edu/HSL/searching/PearlGrowing.html) 2009-07-10 at the Wayback Machine from Creighton University - [Pearl Growing Technique](http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/fis/courses/lis1325/Pearl.html) by Chun Wei Choo at University of Toronto - [Pearl Growing in Systematic Literature Reviews](https://www.mediwrite.com.au/medical-writing/pearl-growing/) by Dr Ruth Hadfield at Macquarie University --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pearl growing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_growing) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_growing?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.