Information retrieval is rarely perfectly successful on the first attempt. However, search results can often be improved in various ways. Start by evaluating how well the search results answer to your information needs. If the relevance is low, you can try strategies such as pearl growing, reviewing subject terms for better search terms or using filtering tools available in databases. It's also important to ensure that your search string is logical, follows the database's rules, and that all words are spelled correctly.
Evaluation of search results is an essential part of scientific information retrieval. The number of results alone does not indicate whether the search has been successful. The volume of search results depends on several factors, including the topic, the database used and, of course, the relevance of the search terms. Therefore, you can not determine a specific number of results that you should get. The type of information need should also be taken into account. Searching for a few sources for a small assignment is very different from conducting a systematic search for a systematic literature review.
Assessing the relevance of the search results is just as important as considering their quantity. Relevance refers to how well the publication meets your information needs – whether its content is appropriate for your research topic. In databases, search results can often be organized according to relevance. In this case, the most relevant publications are placed at the top of the list. By scanning the titles and abstracts of promising results, you can quickly determine whether they contain useful information.
In some cases, a systematic search is necessary, especially when conducting a systematic literature review. The goal in such cases is to identify as many relevant publications on a specific topic as possible.