Evidence Synthesis: Coming Soon to a Library Near You?

Abstract

This article provides background information about evidence synthesis, the process of collecting, evaluating, and summarizing results from multiple studies that have investigated the same research question. The article also examines the critical role of librarians in conducting evidence synthesis, and examines the accelerating uptake of systematic reviews and other types of evidence synthesis outside the health sciences. It includes perspectives from two academic libraries and discusses implications of the boom in evidence synthesis that libraries may want to consider.