Systematic Reviews, Scoping Reviews & Other Evidence Synthesis Projects

The Library offers three levels of assistance for evidence synthesis projects at Rosalind Franklin University. Use the chart and the appointment request form below to determine the level of help we can provide to your specific project, and read through our policy if you have additional questions.

Level 1: Consultant

Librarian Work Time: 1-3 hours

At this level the librarian can meet with a RFUMS student, faculty, and staff to provide advice and guidance in a traditional reference consultation format. This includes:

• Guidance on the process
• Advice on search strategies and techniques
• Suggest databases to use
• Guidance on study types to include
• Instruction on translating your search strategy for use in other databases
• Assist with reference management software

Level 2: Collaborator

Librarian Work Time: 3-14 hours

At this level, the librarian can meet with a RFUMS faculty or staff member to provide a larger contribution than a regular reference consultation as in level 1. In addition to Level 1 services, this includes:

• Provide a review of search strategy
• Coordinate searches with external libraries for databases the library does not subscribe to
• Guidance on importing citations into evidence synthesis software such as JBI SUMARI

Important note! Priority is given to those conducting JBI reviews with the RFUMS Center for Interprofessional Evidence-Based Practice as well as faculty scholarly projects. Course assignments or students research not associated with JBI are not eligible for this level at this time. 

Expected acknowledgment at this level: Librarian name should be included in the acknowledgement section of the published paper.

Level 3: Co-Author

Librarian Work Time: Over 14 hours

At this level the librarian is considered a co-author like any other author on the evidence synthesis team. The main area of expertise that the librarian provides is around crafting the search protocol and documenting the search strategy process in the methods section. In addition to Level 2 services, this includes:

• Manage the search strategy construction and documentation
• Run the searches and export citations into reference management software
• Import citations into evidence synthesis management software such as JBI SUMARI
• Write the literature search process in the "Methods" section
• Document the search strategies for the search strategy appendix
• Review final draft of the paper

Important note! Priority is given to those conducting JBI reviews with the RFUMS Center for Interprofessional Evidence-Based Practice. Exceptions can be made for faculty or institutional projects with permission from the Library Director. Availability is based on time and librarian workload. 

The library team will determine the levels of service your project may receive. Use the form below to contact a librarian about your project.