Systematic Review Service

Beginning a systematic review?

Librarians are experts in systematic searching. The Library’s Systematic Review Service is here to advise and support you in conducting reviews of many kinds, including: systematic reviews, systematized reviews, scoping reviews, rapid reviews, umbrella reviews, and literature reviews.1

Search strategies are an integral part of the systematic review. Collaboration with a librarian has been correlated with higher quality reported search strategies in systematic reviews.2 A high-quality, transparently reported search will help to ensure that your review is built on a solid foundation.

How can the Systematic Review Service support you?

Librarians can support you by:

  • Evaluating the viability of your topic based on extant literature
  • Developing and refining your review topic
  • Assisting in development of a research protocol
  • Identifying databases and grey literature sources
  • Developing and executing searches
  • Importing search results into citation managers, or Rayyan, a screening tool
  • Documenting search strategies
  • Contributing to the Methods section of manuscript

Contact us for a consultation.

1. See this typology of reviews for descriptions and methodologies of 14 review types common in biomedical research.

2. Rethlefsen, M. L., Farrell, A. M., Osterhaus 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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.11.025

Additional Resources

For information on systematic reviews and other knowledge syntheses, see the subject guide Knowledge Syntheses.

For information on critical appraisal tools, see the subject guide Critical Appraisal Tools.

Right Review is a helpful tool to help you decide which type of review is appropriate for your research project based on your objective, the type of literature you will be consulting, the time frame for completion, and other details.