What should a researcher do after obtaining over 180 potential articles from a keyword search?

After obtaining over 180 potential articles from a keyword search, identifying Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms to refine the search is a strategic approach to enhance research quality. MeSH terms provide a standardized set of descriptors that help in organizing and retrieving information more efficiently within medical and scientific databases.

By utilizing MeSH terms, the researcher can narrow down the focus of the search to specific topics, increasing the relevance of the articles retrieved. This systematic way of searching reduces the chance of retrieving irrelevant articles and allows for a more targeted review of literature, ultimately leading to more accurate and applicable findings.

The other options do not provide the same level of specificity and efficiency for refining a literature search. Reviewing only a limited number of articles, changing the database, or limiting the search to recent publications might overlook important relevant studies conducted in different timeframes or contexts. Therefore, the most effective next step is to refine the search using MeSH terms tailored to the research topic.