Are you considering working on a systematic review project over the summer? Becker Library provides a comprehensive systematic/scoping review service that can assist you! Here are a few things to keep in mind to help prepare for your project:
- The first step for getting systematic/scoping review assistance from Becker librarians is to fill out a search request form: https://becker.wustl.edu/services/systematic-scoping-review-service/systematic-or-scoping-search-request/
- Systematic review searches are often complex and can take up to 8+ weeks complete, so you should submit your request form by the end of May if you would like to have results to screen by July or August.
- Systematic review projects can take 8+ months to complete from question formation, designing a search strategy, building a citation library, screening results, and extracting data. You likely won’t be able to complete an entire review over the summer.
- If you are working with summer researchers or students, make sure you have a transition plan. Since these projects often exceed the summer term, a PI or lead researcher should be prepared to carry the project to completion.
- A successful systematic review requires subject matter expertise. PIs or other senior researchers should be involved throughout the entire process. This includes attending initial meetings with the project librarian to refine the research question and providing direct oversight during the screening and extraction phases. Students or interns should not be expected to work on these complex projects alone.
Have questions?
- Consult our Systematic Review information page: https://becker.wustl.edu/services/systematic-scoping-review-service/
- Contact us at askbecker@wustl.edu