Systematic Review Service

Before you contact the MSK Library, you should have identified the members of your systematic review team. 

While as few as two people can complete a review, it is recommended that you have more than that. This will make work easier, especially if you end up with a large number of citations to screen. 

Ideally, your team should include:

1. A subject specialist. You will want someone who knows your topic inside out and can use that knowledge to plan and carry out the review.

2. A methods expert. It is helpful if at least one member of the team is familiar with the process of a systematic review.

3. A statistician. This is integral if you are completing a meta-analysis. Contact a statistician early so they can be involved in the planning stages and beyond.

4. A project coordinator. Not all teams have someone to keep the process on track, but it is an especially useful role to fill.

5. A librarian. The search is what brings in the results that ultimately form your conclusions. To have the highest quality search possible, contact us once you have other key team members identified.

Those in roles 1, 2, and 4 will also likely screen the results and assess the quality/pull out the data of included studies. Those in all 5 listed roles are given co-authorship.

You do not need to have any experience with systematic reviews to work with us! MSK librarians work with teams of all comfort levels.

If someone needs information about a specific part of the systematic review process before you are matched with an MSK librarian, reach out for support. Common questions include how to start a protocol and the timeline of finalizing the search strategy and results being available.