Support for Systematic Reviews Outside the Health

SciencesHow to Get Started

Julie Kelly, Megan Kocher, and Scott MarsalisUniversity of Minnesota Libraries

Who are we?

Librarian for Applied Economics, Ecology, Environment, Horticulture

Librarian for Food Science & Nutrition; Animal Science; and Soil, Water & Climate

Librarian for Social Work, Family Social Science, and Kinesiology

Opening Discussion

● What experience do you already have with systematic reviews?

● Do you have any users currently working on systematic reviews?

● Do you have any health sciences programs?

What is a Systematic Review?

What is a systematic review?

Research design which seeks to answer a specific question or hypothesis by synthesizing the available research while seeking to reduce potential biases.

● Explicit inclusion/exclusion criteria● Clearly stated and reproducible search strategy● Included studies are systematically coded and analyzed● Meta-analysis of data is performed when possible

What is a systematic review?

● Question need not be clinical or therapeutic● Included research data may be quantitative and/or

qualitative● Often includes systematic search for unpublished studies

(grey lit)● Best conducted by a review team of members with specific

skills, including a librarian

What is a systematic review? Examples

De La Rue, L., Polanin, J., Espelage, D., & Pigott, T. (2014). School-based interventions to reduce dating and sexual violence: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 10(7).

Dangour, A. D., Dodhia, S. K., Hayter, A., Allen, E., Lock, K., & Uauy, R. (2009). Nutritional quality of organic foods: a systematic review. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 90(3), 680-685.

McCormack, G. R., & Shiell, A. (2011). In search of causality: a systematic review of the relationship between the built environment and physical activity among adults. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act, 8(1), 125.

What is a systematic review? Examples

Ford, J. D., Berrang-Ford, L., & Paterson, J. (2011). A systematic review of observed climate change adaptation in developed nations. Climatic change, 106(2), 327-336.

Skakon, J., Nielsen, K., Borg, V., & Guzman, J. (2010). Are leaders' well-being, behaviours and style associated with the affective well-being of their employees? A systematic review of three decades of research. Work & Stress, 24(2), 107-139.

How do systematic reviews differ from other reviews?

Always includes a systematic, comprehensive and exhaustive search for all published (and ideally, unpublished studies) meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Inclusion/exclusion criteria are explicit and documented at beginning of project.

Synthesis of all applicable research to answer given question. Meta-synthesis is included when appropriate to found studies.

Reproducibility is a goal, and achieved in part through detailed, transparent search strategies.

Example

http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-11-647

Interventions targeting social isolation in older people:

a systematic reviewAndy P Dickens, Suzanne H Richards, Colin J Greaves and John L Campbell

BMC Public Health 2011 11:647 doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-647

How do systematic reviews differ from other reviews?

Other common types of reviews:

● Narrative Reviews● Critical Review● Scoping Reviews● Rapid Review

Grant, M.J. & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26: 91-108. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x

What are some advantages of systematic reviews?

● For faculty it is a way to contribute to the body of research without some of the barriers (grant funding, human subjects oversight)

● Contributes to evidence-based practice by synthesizing what is known while minimizing bias.

● Promotes values of transparency and replicability.

● Can be a good way to build collaborative relationships between the librarian and faculty.

Standards and Protocols

Groups that set standards

● PRISMA, Institute of Medicine

Groups that coordinate large numbers of reviews

● Cochrane, Campbell

Registering review protocols

● PROSPERO, Cochrane, Campbell

PRISMA

● Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

○ Used by authors and peer reviewers○ Checklist, flow diagram, protocol

“Cochrane exists so that healthcare decisions get better”

Umbrella group - 10,000 researchers

● Sponsors groups that conduct and update reviews● Produces a database of reviews● Creates documentation

Campbell Collaborative

Systematic reviews of the effects of social interventions in:

● Crime & Justice● Education● International Development● Social Welfare

Software - Organizing search results

Excel

Citation managers

● No perfect product● Important features

○ Duplicate detection○ Sharing○ File structure○ Unique identifier

Software - To support some or all of the review process

Options:

RevMan

GRADEpro

DistillerSR

EPPI-Reviewer

Covidence

Features:

Protocol DevelopmentStudy SelectionData ExtractionText AnalysisMeta-AnalysisReport Write-UpCollaborationDocument Management

Discussion

● What formal search training have you had?

● How much searching do you do in your job?

● How much do you assist others in their searching?

Getting Prepared

Formal Training

● University of Michigan Library: Systematic Reviews Workshop: Opportunities for Librarians

○ Offered ~2 times/year○ 8 online modules + 2 days in-person

● University of Pittsburgh Health Science Library System: Systematic Review Workshop: The Nuts and Bolts for Librarians

○ Offered ~2 times/year○ 2.5 days in-person

Tip: Sign up for waitlists now!

Bring in a Trainer

● List of potential trainers compiled from suggestions on librarian listservs.

Understand where in the process you can help.

Getting started

● Search for existing protocols● Search for existing reviews● Search for reviews in progress

Creating a Protocol

● Perform preliminary searches to help with focus/revision of research question

Developing the search strategy

● Identify databases to search● Identify search terms● Discuss search limits● Create a highly sensitive search● Modify searches for each database● Apply hedges/filters● Hand searching

Understand where in the process you can help.

During the study

● Run searches● Save results in a citation manager● Deduplicate results● Track numbers of results

During writing

● Write search strategy portion of methods section

● Re-run searches for updates to the review.

Determine what level of service you will offer. Basic service:

● Consult on search strategy● Consult on databases

More time:

● Create search strategies● Perform searches

Even more time:

● Search for gray literature● Collect and deduplicate results

Full service (co-author)

● Write search portion of methods section. ● Be a member of the systematic review team● Assist with research question

formulation/refinement● Perform hand searching ● Save searches for updates to the review

Top 4 advantages to working on systematic reviews

1. Building relationships with faculty2. Building your search skills3. Show off your advanced search skills4. Co-authorship

Discussion

● Can you see yourself doing these?

● Where do you see your library fitting in?

● What knowledge gaps would you like to work on?

Image Credits

● In a Row | Flickr - Photo Sharing! Author: Warren Rachele https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

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