Search consultations
Do you need assistance with your systematic review? The Library offers support with methodology, literature searches and search documentation.
Systematic and scoping reviews
A systematic review is a literary review which, through a transparent process, seeks to identify, value, select and compile all available research within a clearly defined topic or research question. A systematic review attempts to be an exhaustive literature search within a specific topic where all results are considered. The Library also offer search consultations for scoping reviews. The purpose of a scoping review is to provide an overview of the available research evidence without producing a summary answer to a discrete research question.
Read more about systematic reviews in our research guide
The Library can help you with your literature search
If you are a researcher or a PhD-student and considering conducting a systematic literature review, you can book guidance with us for advice and assistance. We will help you fine-tune the research question, inclusion- and exclusion criteria. We will suggest databases, resources and screening tools and give guidance through the different stages of the systematic review.
Book guidance for systematic search/scoping review
In addition to the guidance above, we can also help you perform the systematic searches, in which case you order a search consultation instead. First, we invite you to a meeting to discuss the details of the search consultation. After the meeting, we perform a preliminary search. Once you have approved it, we perform the search in the agreed databases and deliver
- a reference library that you can open in your reference management software
- the search strategy, showing exactly how we searched
- a list of included references from each database before deduplication.
Please note that time of delivery may vary depending on the consultation. We can usually deliver literature searches within 3 weeks but more extensive searches require additional time. If we have many consultations, your order may be placed in a queue. Please contact us well in advance.
Who can order a search consultation?
We offer search consultations for systematic or scoping reviews for those employed (including PhD students) by Uppsala University or Region Uppsala. The service is free of charge. Bachelor students and master students are referred to book an appointment with a librarian for individual guidance.
Order a search consultation
When you order a search consultation we would like you to include some information about your subject. If you plan to work with a PICO, you can include the PICO in your order.
PICO
Suitable for clinical questions.
Example: Does naproxen offer more efficient pain relief than ibuprofen for patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis?
Population | Patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis |
|---|---|
Intervention | Efficiency of pain treatment with naproxen |
Control | Compared with ibuprofen |
Outcome | Improved pain treatment, higher quality of life, less pain |