Levy Library Research Synthesis and Systematic Review Services: How We Can Help
Hey ISMMS Graduate Students!
Thinking about completing a Systematic Review or Meta-Analysis as your thesis or dissertation?
Use our review type decision tree to determine what works for your research question and connect to additional resources.
Protocol Development
A drafted protocol is a critical step for the search strategy development and recommendation of library resources by the librarian. Please look at the following guiding documents/resources on how to develop a protocol for an evidence synthesis project.
- PRISMA-PPRISMA-P was published in 2015 aiming to facilitate the development and reporting of systematic review protocols. Includes a checklist for items to include and an explanation and elaboration paper.
- A Guide for Developing a Protocol for Conducting Literature ReviewsThis tool provides guidance on developing a protocol for conducting reviews such as systematic and scoping reviews. It discusses the importance of developing a protocol to guide reviews and describes the key elements in a protocol.
- Writing the ProtocolA guide from McGill Library on the elements to include in a protocol.
- Cochrane Interactive Learning: Module 2: Writing the ProtocolThis module teaches the learner about the components of a protocol, and how to define eligibility criteria using the PICO format.
Levy Library Research Synthesis and Systematic Review Support Services
The Levy Library offers the following support services for research syntheses (including systematic reviews/meta-analyses):
- Introduction to methodology and best practices
- Developing your research question including:
- Investigating whether it is appropriate to try to answer the question/topic at hand via a systematic review/meta-analysis, if applicable
- Determining whether there is sufficient evidence available to provide an answer to the research question
- Comprehensive search strategy development including:
- Identifying a complete list of search terms
- Identifying appropriate databases to search
- Putting it all together - Building your search query
- Help creating a de-duplicated set of results for screening
- Training on Covidence, an online tool designed to facilitate the research synthesis process
- Guidance on selecting an appropriate quality appraisal tool
- Developing a realistic timeline for your research synthesis project
Need help with a research synthesis project? Please fill out the consultation request form below and a member of the library staff will reach out to you.