Evidence Synthesis

Evidence Synthesis & Systematic Reviews

This guide provides cross-disciplinary information and resources about the evidence synthesis process. Evidence synthesis researchers conduct various types of comprehensive literature reviews that can include: systematic reviews, scoping reviews, mixed-methods reviews, rapid reviews, umbrella reviews, integrative reviews, and others. Evidence synthesis researchers are guided by a protocol and use rigorous methods to search, select, assess, and report findings. The aim of evidence synthesis research is to provide a comprehensive review of the research that follows transparent and reproducible methods to inform practice and policies in various fields such as healthcare, education, sociology, or public policy.​ 

• For a description of different types of reviews, see Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91-108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x

Due to the comprehensive approach, evidence synthesis researchers often consult and collaborate with teams that include academic librarians. As information specialists, librarians can provide guidance on conducting, managing, and reporting searches and assist researchers in identifying subject and keyword terms, relevant databases and appropriate search syntax, and grey literature sources. The following references offer more information about librarian involvement in evidence synthesis projects.

• Rethlefsen, M.L., Farrell, A.M., Trzasko, L.C., Brigham, T.J. (2015). Librarian co-authors correlated with higher quality reported search strategies in general internal medicine systematic reviews. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 68(6):617-626.10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.11.025
• Spencer AJ, Eldredge J.D. (2018). Roles for librarians in systematic reviews: a scoping review. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 106(1):46-56. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2018.82