OBJECTIVES: Search filters or hedges are commonly used in systematic reviews to identify studies fulfilling specific criteria. Currently, there are no published filters that focus on identifying studies specific to  patients’ medication-taking behavior, i.e. adherence, compliance or persistence. This research aims to develop and validate a medication adherence filter using schizophrenia as a case example METHODS: Published literature reviews assessing adherence in schizophrenia were identified from years 2000 to present in the English language, and were used as a reference. A filter search strategy was developed for adherence concepts using the titles of references identified in the reviews. This filter was used to search for medication adherence studies in schizophrenia in MEDLINE and Embase. This process was reiterated until studies included in the reference review articles were captured. RESULTS: