An evidence synthesis service for a mid-size academic library: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Few Blues

Evidence synthesis is defined as any method of identifying, selecting and combining results from multiple studies investigating the same topic to comprehensively understand their findings. Systematic reviews, for example, are one type of evidence synthesis. While well-established in the health sciences, these types of projects are growing in popularity and publication in a number of other disciplines such as business, science, social sciences, and education. This presentation will allow participants to engage with the librarians as we explore the planning, development, execution, and assessment of a new Evidence Synthesis Service which will include an analysis of successes and areas for improvement. The librarians will discuss the immersive preparatory work for skill set development as well as define and describe the Evidence Synthesis process. Participants, through a case study, will experience an Evidence Synthesis Project from beginning to end.