To connect with a search expert from the Taubman Health Sciences Library about your project, complete the Evidence Synthesis Project Information Form.
If you are unable to access the form, please contact SystematicSearch-Core@umich.edu for the Word document version.
We receive a high volume of requests for consultation on evidence synthesis projects; after you submit the form your Informationist or a member of the Evidence Synthesis Core Team will be in contact with you to discuss your project.
Depending on your needs and the Informationist's availability, Informationist involvement can range from full collaboration with your systematic review team to basic search advice.
Complete the Evidence Synthesis Project Information form and draft your protocol well in advance of when you would like to start working with results. This lead time is important because new requests are balanced with our prior commitments (instruction, other evidence syntheses, etc.) and developing comprehensive search strategies can take several weeks to a month.
If the Informationists at the Taubman Health Sciences Library are unable to meet your time frame, consider hiring a search expert from the Association of Independent Information Professionals.
Prior to your first meeting with a search expert, all team members should be familiar with these documents:
Prior to your first meeting with a search expert, all team members should be familiar with these documents:
Prior to your first meeting with a search expert, all team members should be familiar with these documents:
If you plan to conduct another type of structured review, all team members should be familiar with these documents prior to meeting with a search expert:
If you are unsure what type of review to conduct, all team members should be familiar with these documents prior to meeting with a search expert:
Follow the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' (ICMJE) authorship criteria to appropriately credit review team members for their work.
Examples of search expert's work that meet the ICMJE authorship criteria:
Examples of search expert's work that should be acknowledged:
Appropriate recognition of our contributions is important to informationists at the Taubman Health Sciences Library. A memorandum of understanding can help document roles and expectations for recognition.
A protocol is required for most evidence synthesis projects.
To learn about systematic review protocols and scoping review protocols, see these guidelines:
Most evidence synthesis methodologies require a team. If you have not formed a team yet, consider reaching out to:
Teams seeking a search expert must have one or more members currently affiliated with the University of Michigan.