Expert Search: Support for Systematic Reviews and Other Evidence Synthesis

• Design the search strategy *
• Translate the search across multiple databases
• Conduct the search in multiple databases *
• De-duplicate and merge the citations
• Deliver citations in preferred format
• Provide basic guidance on screening process
• Provide researcher with documentation to include in publication *
• Assist in writing Methods section for publication *
• Run update of searches prior to publication (as required by standards)
• Review the final manuscript prior to submission *
• Librarian should have the opportunity for co-authorship, per ICMJE authorship guidelines.

Policies

A librarian who accepts responsibility for the steps marked with (*) above should be offered co-authorship of the final publication.  The librarian may accept or decline co-authorship at their discretion. Researchers may wish to consult the ICMJE statement on “Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors” for more information or clarification.

Investigators submitting requests for comprehensive literature searches for projects with grant funding are expected to include library effort in the grant.

The librarian will provide documentation of their work to the research team, but the teams is responsible for complying with data sharing or archiving policies.

Projects in which there are authors from multiple institutions will be considered if the SHSU author is the project lead.

For student academic projects, the librarian will work with the learner and/or the faculty member to determine what parts of the project must be completed by the student to meet the learning objectives for the academic project, and how to balance librarian expertise and contributions.