"Although the librarian's multiple roles are important in all forms of medical research, they are crucial in a systematic review."
“Expert searchers are an important part of the systematic review team, crucial throughout the review process - from the development of the proposal and research question to publication.” (McGowan & Sampson, 2005)
Harris, M. R. (2005). The librarian’s roles in the systematic review process: a case study. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 93(1), 81–87.
"The librarian is a key player on the team and needs to be an integral player in all meetings."
McGowan, J., & Sampson, M. (2005). Systematic reviews need systematic searchers. Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA, 93(1), 74-80. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15685278
*The information professional should write the methods section regarding the search methods.You may also want to consider providing a copy of one of the search strategies used in an appendix"
Cochrane handbook
It is considered best practice to include a librarian as a team member when conducting a systematic or scoping review (see side bar to the left). The librarian should either be acknowledged by name in the paper, or included as a co-author if the work was extensive and the librarian made a significant contribution (such as several revisions of the search strategy, and/or writing part of the methods section, etc.). Doing this helps your paper, as it lets readers know that you followed the recommended best practice of working closely with a librarian.
- Acknowledgment; suggested line for paper: “We would like to thank (librarian) from the Library of Rush University Medical Center for their work on the literature search strategy for this review.”
- Co-authorship: please get in touch when you start drafting the Methods section of the paper.
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