How To Conduct A Systematic Review: Library Services

TCOM/TCOP librarians can:

• perform a search to see whether a SR on your topic has already been published or registered
• help you formulate and focus your research question
• help with citation management
• determine if your question is right for a systematic review or better suited for another type of review
• identify tools, resources, guidelines, and standards for conducting and reporting systematic reviews
• suggest relevant databases and grey literature sources based on your systematic review question
• provide search strategy development and database search techniques

3.1.1 Work with a librarian or other information specialist trained in performing systematic reviews (SRs) to plan the search strategy

3.1.2 Design the search strategy to address each key research question

3.1.3 Use an independent librarian or other information specialist to peer review the search strategy

3.1.4 Search bibliographic databases

3.1.5 Search citation indexes

3.1.6 Search literature cited by eligible studies

3.1.7 Update the search at intervals appropriate to the pace of generation of new information for the research question being addressed

3.1.8 Search subject-specific databases if other databases are unlikely to provide all relevant evidence

3.1.9 Search regional bibliographic databases if other databases are unlikely to provide all relevant evidence

3.2.1 Search grey-literature databases, clinical trial registries, and other sources of unpublished information about studies

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Finding What Works in Health Care: Standards for Systematic Reviews. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13059.
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