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Librarians are often an under-used resource in the evidence synthesis process, however it is recommended that the disciplinary experts on the author team manage certain steps that require specific content-area and quantitative methods expertise. Librarians who write the search methodology section of the synthesis should be included as a co-author. Librarians who collaborate on search strategy formation and/or citation management should be acknowledged in the final publication. See Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors by The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors to learn more about the role of authors and contributors
A systematic review will typically require a year or more to complete, and librarians’ availability may vary, so please plan ahead and reach out to us as early as you can.
Below is a detailed chart that breaks down the steps of a traditional systematic review and the librarian co-author’s potential contributions. (Please note that these time estimates may vary depending on the project, and some steps may happen concurrently.)
Timeline and details of the systematic review process
|
Steps in a Traditional Systematic Review |
Estimated Time Investment |
Potential Contribution of Librarian Co-Author |
|
1. Assemble systematic review team and select project manager |
Varies |
Provide guidance |
|
2. Identify appropriate review methodology |
2 weeks |
Provide guidance |
|
3. Define research question |
2 weeks |
Provide information on appropriate question frameworks (e.g. PICO) |
|
4. Define inclusion/exclusion criteria |
1 week |
Provide guidance |
|
5. Select databases |
1 week |
Suggest appropriate databases |
|
6. Select gray literature resources |
1 week |
Suggest gray literature resources |
|
7. Write search strategy for “master” database |
1 week |
Lead writing of the search strategy |
|
8. Write and register protocol (written compilation of previous steps) |
Varies |
Provide comments on protocol and guide protocol registration process |
|
9. Translate search strategy to syntax 2 of all databases (including gray literature) |
2 weeks |
Translate search strategy |
|
10. Search and export results into citation management software |
2 weeks |
Perform searches and export results |
|
11. De-duplicate results |
2-4 weeks |
Perform de-duplication, or train your team on the process |
|
12. Title and abstract screening |
2–3 months* |
Recommend article screening software and advise on use of software |
|
13. Retrieve full-text articles |
1 month* |
Train team on full-text article retrieval |
|
14. Full-text screening |
2–3 months* |
Provide guidance |
|
15. Risk-of-bias assessment |
2–3 months |
Provide guidance |
|
16. Data extraction |
2–3 months |
Provide guidance |
|
17. Meta-analysis or synthesis of results |
2–3 months |
Provide guidance |
|
18. Write the manuscript |
2–3 months |
Write information retrieval portion of the methods section |
* Timeframe can vary significantly depending on number of citations identified for screening.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License