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HBLS Evidence Synthesis Service

Overview

The document below outlines:

  • an overview of the Evidence Synthesis Service
  • project eligibility
  • general information about tiers of service

For further details about the three service tiers, please refer to the tabbed box below.

Service Timeline

At this time, the ESS is operating at capacity.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects should anticipate a wait time of approximately 1-3 weeks after the initial consultation with the ESS Team Lead.

We anticipate taking on new Tier 3 projects in February 2026. Until that time, intake forms may still be submitted and initial consults will continue.

At all tiers, projects are drawn from the wait list on a first-come, first-served basis.

Service Tiers

Details:

As a consultant, a librarian can step in at various points of your evidence synthesis project. The ideal time for a first consultation is at the beginning of the project. The librarian may:

  • Provide background information and resources on best practices in evidence synthesis
  • Assist with refining a research question, selecting the appropriate review type, and locating methodological guidelines
  • Suggest tools and platforms for various stages of the project, such as registering protocols, managing citations, and screening references
  • Recommend relevant databases and other information sources, offer guidance on initial search strategies, and share resources to help in constructing systematic searches

Time commitment:

Consultation should not exceed 3 hours in total, including synchronous meetings or assistance by email.

Appropriate acknowledgement:

It is encouraged and appreciated to acknowledge a librarian’s work as a consultant in publications.

Details:

As a participating investigator, a librarian will provide greater support than at the consultant tier. In addition to the assistance described in Tier 1, the librarian may:

  • Provide more detailed guidance on methodology, such as assisting with protocol development
  • Offer assistance and advice on search planning and design, and/or provide critique and suggestions for improvement of draft searches*
  • Instruct research team members in the use of tools and platforms for various stages of the project, such as citation managers or screening tools like Covidence

*Tier 2 does not include designing and running searches on behalf of the research team.

Time commitment:

Support may take place at multiple phases of the project, but should not exceed 6 hours in total, including synchronous meetings or assistance by email.

Appropriate acknowledgment:

A librarian serving as a participating investigator is typically formally acknowledged by name in publications. See Acknowledgement of Librarian Participation below.

Details:

As a review team member*, a librarian may be engaged in many aspects of the project. In addition to the assistance described in Tiers 1 and 2, the librarian will:

  • Provide advice on protocol registration and write the search methods component of the protocol
  • Design search strategies in consultation with the content experts on the team
  • Coordinate a peer review of the search strategy by another expert librarian
  • Translate search strategies across included databases and execute those searches
  • Assist in identifying and searching other information sources as needed
  • Manage references and import them into the team's screening tool (typically Covidence)
  • Provide guidance in locating full text articles for that screening stage
  • Write the methods section of any resulting publications in accordance with appropriate reporting guidelines and provide documentation of the search strategies; create the PRISMA flow diagram, if using PRISMA 2020 reporting guidelines
  • Update searches as needed before publication
  • Review manuscripts prior to publication, including making any necessary revisions to the methods

Time commitment:

While the amount of time this takes may vary depending on the project, this tier is appropriate for anything greater than 6 hours. Given the time commitment and service demands, there may be a waiting list for Tier 3 assistance.

Appropriate acknowledgment:

A librarian serving on the review team should be listed as a co-author on any resulting published research. See the ICMJE authorship guidelines under Acknowledgement of Librarian Participation below.

Acknowledgement of Librarian Participation

Several organizations have developed guidelines for how participation in the production and publication of research should be acknowledged. The ESS refers to the guidelines from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), as well as the Contributor Role Taxonomy (CRediT), when participating in evidence synthesis projects.