Evidence Synthesis Support Resources to help you manage your evidence synthesis projects

UK Libraries offers course-related, consultant, and co-authorship support for evidence syntheses and systematic reviews. Our model is designed to cater to the varying needs and levels of expertise of faculty, staff, students, clinicians, researchers, residents, and fellows. The level of support is confirmed at the first consultation meeting and cannot be changed.

For sponsored projects with an evidence synthesis component utilizing librarian support, it is best to account for the librarian’s time in your proposal. For more information contact UK Libraries Associate Dean for Outreach, Engagement & Collections Ben Rawlins at ben.rawlins@uky.edu.

Please note that if at any point established standards and best practices are not followed, librarians reserve the right to withdraw from a project in order to maintain the integrity of the service and uphold professional standards and guidelines.

Course Related Support

Faculty assigning evidence syntheses related course work are strongly encouraged to reach out to UK Libraires to discuss the instructional opportunities.

• Students are encouraged to contact librarians in their subject areas.

Consultant

The Consultant level provides basic project support and is available to UK-affiliated faculty, staff, clinicians, researchers, residents, and fellows. This level includes the following services: 

• Consultation: Maximum of three consultations to discuss the research question, scope, and feasibility of the systematic review or evidence synthesis.
• Advisory Role: Advice on database selection, keywords, and available training materials and workshops on review methodologies.
• Tool Guidance: Guidance on selecting appropriate tools and resources.
• Protocol Review: One consultation can be used for assistance with protocol creation or registration. Librarians can help ensure completeness and adherence to best practices. 

Consultant level support does not include instruction on searching.

 Acknowledgement in future publications may be required depending on the extent of assistance and is negotiated with the librarian.  

Co-authorship

The Co-authorship level provides comprehensive support and is available to UK-affiliated faculty, staff, clinicians, researchers, residents, and fellows who require a higher level of assistance. This level of support includes the services from the consultant level and these additional services: 

• Advanced Consultation: Provide ongoing consultation throughout the systematic review process, including assistance with refining the research question, developing inclusion/exclusion criteria, and selecting appropriate methodologies.
• Literature Search: Conduct comprehensive literature searches across multiple databases, including gray literature sources (when necessary), to identify relevant studies.
• Data Management: Guidance on managing and organizing retrieved references using reference management software.
• Writing for Publication: Preparing relevant sections of the protocol and search methods for final publication, including providing literature searches in a publication-ready format (e.g., appendixes). 

Authorship in future publications, including protocols, is required.  

Due to the capacity of librarians and time commitment required, librarians are only able to be involved in a maximum of three evidence synthesis projects at this level at one time. Additionally, librarians cannot be involved in multiple concurrent projects with the same principal investigator.

Service Limitations

Activities that librarians are not able to assist with include:

• Screening and Selection of Studies:  Librarians do not participate in screening and selection of studies, though we can provide support with setting up tools used for the screening and selection process, including the use of systematic review management software. 
• Data Extraction and Synthesis: Librarians can provide guidance on available tools for data extraction but are not experts in data extraction and synthesis. A statistician may be needed by your team to complete these steps

To ensure the highest quality and integrity of evidence syntheses and systematic reviews, the following requirements must be met prior to librarian involvement: 

• Multi-Reviewer Team: Each review team must consist of a minimum of two reviewers outside of the UK Libraries. This requirement is essential for the process of norming and double-anonymous reviewing, which are critical elements in maintaining the integrity and objectivity of the review process. These practices help ensure that the research outcomes are unbiased and reliable. Adherence to these standards is mandated by PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and other methodological guidelines, reinforcing the importance of a multi-reviewer approach in achieving high-quality systematic reviews and evidence syntheses.
   
• Registered Protocol: A registered protocol is mandatory for all systematic reviews and evidence syntheses teams seeking support from UK Libraries. The protocol must be registered with a recognized registry, such as PROSPERO or Open Science Framework (OSF), and must include detailed information on the research question, methodology, and planned analyses. This requirement is aligned with the requirement set forth by PRISMA and ensures transparency, reduces bias, and enhances the reproducibility of the research.
  • Review teams are encouraged to utilize our Starting a Review: A Protocol template.
  • Should the research team request the Co-authorship level of service, our librarians are available to assist in developing and drafting portions of the protocol. It is important to note that the protocol must be registered prior to the review of articles. 

Roles of the Review Team

• Adhere to the registered protocol and notify the librarian of any significant changes.
• Formulate clear research questions and objectives.
• Commit sufficient time and resources to complete the project.
• Collaborate with library staff to refine search strategies and methodologies.
• Acknowledge library staff contributions in all resulting publications or presentations.
• Notify library staff if the project stalls or is abandoned.

Roles of the Librarian

Consultant Level

• Provide initial consultations to discuss the research question, scope, and feasibility of the review.
• Advise on database selection, keywords, and available training materials/workshops.
• Offer guidance on selecting appropriate tools and resources.
• Assist with protocol creation or registration, ensuring completeness and adherence to best practices.
• Provide limited support with setup and data management, including assistance when library software is used.

Co-authorship Level

• Collaborate as a co-author and provide advanced, ongoing consultation throughout the review process.
• Assist in refining the research question, developing inclusion/exclusion criteria, and selecting methodologies.
• Conduct comprehensive literature searches across multiple databases, including gray literature sources.
• Provide detailed guidance on reference/data management, including organization in citation management and systematic review software.
• Contribute to writing sections of the protocol and manuscript related to search methodology, including providing publication-ready appendices.
• Monitor the project’s progress and provide timely updates, ensuring adherence to the registered protocol.