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RESEARCH GUIDES

Systematic Review

Resources for conducting a systematic review research.

Welcome

The University of Maryland Libraries’ Systematic Review Team support all students, faculty, and staff affiliated with the UMD College Park campus. Our services are free of charge and include workshops, customized guest lectures and course support, faculty collaboration and project support, and one-on-one consultations on all aspects of systematic review research and teaching.

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Are you embarking on a systematic review project?

Librarians at the UMD Libraries are expert searchers and offer a systematic review service to faculty, students and research staff. We are available to guide and collaborate with researchers on the following tasks:

  • Choose the best review methodology to fit your timeline, question scope and discipline
  • Suggest relevant databases for searching the scholarly and grey literature
  • Design complex search strategies for specific databases
  • Use citation management software for organizing references (e.g., Zotero and Endnote)
  • Use article screening and selection tools (e.g. Rayyan)​

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Levels of systematic review service

  • Tier 1: General Consultation - We provide one-on-one guidance to researchers interested in conducting a literature review. During a one-hour consultation, we offer an overview of the systematic review process, including protocol development, search strategy design, database selection, study collection and organization, screening procedures, and manuscript preparation.
  • Tier 2: Acknowledgment Level - We collaborate with researchers by generating key terms, constructing or refining search strings for specific databases, and/or reviewing search strategies developed by the researcher. The librarian’s contribution should be recognized in the publication’s acknowledgment section.
  • Tier 3: Co-Authorship Level - we take a lead role in developing and executing the search strategy across relevant databases, managing study records, and preparing materials for the researcher’s screening process. The librarian may also contribute to writing the search methodology section. The librarian’s contribution warrants inclusion as a middle co-author in the final publication. 

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Further reading about librarian's contributions to systematic reviews

Workshops

For faculty only: To request an instruction session for your class or a workshop for your department, please fill out the Systematic Review Workshop Request form.

If you have any other questions about this service, please write to us at systrev@umd.edu 

Self-paced online, open, and free course

The Campbell Collaboration Systematic Review online course "provides an overview of the steps involved in conducting a systematic (scientific) review of results of multiple quantitative studies. These steps include: problem formulation, searching for relevant literature, screening potentially eligible studies, coding and critically appraising studies, synthesizing results across studies using meta-analysis, reporting and disseminating results, and updating or re-analysis of data."

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