2026-06-03 –, Room #2 Language: English
Introduction: Rapid growth in the publication of systematic reviews over the past several years has amplified the importance of librarian support and participation in evidence synthesis. Beyond serving as search strategy experts, librarians guide researchers in selecting the appropriate type of review for their research objectives and educate them about best practices and reporting guidelines.
Methods: Using the Web of Science database, the authors identified a sample of 100 systematic reviews published in the last five years across ten health and science disciplines, including Nursing, Nutrition & Dietetics, Health Care Sciences & Services, Public Health, and Veterinary Sciences. The authors assessed the quality of the systematic reviews’ methodologies using common recommendations from best practice guidelines, such as the Cochrane Handbook and the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. In each discipline, we identified trends in methodologies and reporting practices, and analyzed their correlation with journal impact factors and citations rates.
Analysis and Discussion: Results of our analysis emphasize the variability in systematic review methodology and reporting quality. Authors frequently select inappropriate review typologies and inconsistently apply systematic review guidelines across disciplines. By understanding systematic review practices and publication trends across health and science research communities, librarians can engage more effectively with the researchers they support. By identifying common mistakes in reporting practices, librarians can raise researcher awareness about issues in syntheses rigor and publication cultures.
Eugenia Opuda, MLS, M.Ed, is an Associate Professor and the Health and Human Services Librarian at the University of New Hampshire. She teaches the Evidence Based Practice Methods course in the online Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, a required course focused on best practices in evidence synthesis. She has co-authored several evidence synthesis papers in multiple disciplines including kinesiology, occupational therapy, and social work, and contributed to a WHO guideline on the prevention of online violence towards children.