This guide was adapted from Cornell University's Guide to Evidence Synthesis, the University of Minnesota's Systematic Review and Evidence Synthesis, and Northwestern University's Evidence Synthesis & Systematic Reviews.
Before you start your evidence synthesis process, there are several initial steps you'll need to take.
Determine your evidence synthesis type. Select an evidence synthesis process type that suits your research goals, your timeline, your resources, and the evidence available.
Assemble your research team. Most types of evidence synthesis will require you to have a research team. The parameters for the team are typically defined by the type of evidence synthesis review being done.
Identify guidelines. Ensure you have the guidelines and reporting methodology appropriate for your project type. More help on identifying guidelines can be found in the Tools and Guidelines tab on the left.
Preliminary searches. Locate existing or planned reviews to ensure that you are able to differentiate your project from similar projects, and to better understand the current state of research on the topic. These searches can also help you identify search terms, locate potential tools for appraisal, and select databases to utilize.
There are several databases you can search to ensure there are no recent or overlapping projects.
In addition to searching specialized registries, you should also search databases and repositories in your field for published systematic reviews.
