## Background An international group of information professionals, librarians, expert searchers, and methodological experts is developing a statement of best practices/recommendations for searching during public health emergencies and disasters. Searching during public health emergencies and disasters presents unique challenges, including the rapid dissemination of evidence via preprints, press releases, datasets, and other non-peer-reviewed publications types; changing terminologies; and the increased prominence of and reliance on new information resources and databases. These and other factors differentiate searching during emergencies from standard searches. In order to address these challenges and to ensure the quality of searches and the transparency/reproducibility of search strategies in reporting and publications, this group endeavors to develop best practices on several elements from selecting databases to reporting searches to conducting research. The group will share its progress in meetings of evidence synthesis and public health experts. A draft statement will be shared with external experts for review. The statement will be posted as a preprint and formally published as a journal article. ## Aims and scope The aim is to develop a broad, living document of best practices for searching in a public health emergency to support the needs of medical providers, health care administrators, public health experts, and those providing guidance. The document, while developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, should be broad enough to apply during other public health emergencies of international concern, natural disasters, and other situations. ### Key areas of discussion The key areas of discussion are: 1. Core resources 2. Search strategies 3. Publication types 4. Transparency & reproducibility 5. Collaboration 6. Conducting research