Finding Existing Evidence Syntheses
Finding Existing Evidence Syntheses
Searching for existing evidence syntheses on a topic related to your own research question can be a good place to start your evidence synthesis process. These evidence syntheses may provide a model for approaching your own review of the literature, including recommended search strategies and resources. Below are links to online libraries of evidence syntheses and evidence documents for health and other areas of policy-making.
Existing Evidence Synthesis Databases
- Cochrane LibrarySearch here for published Cochrane systematic reviews and protocols in medicine and healthcare.
- Joanna Briggs LibrarySearch here for systematic reviews published by the Joanna Briggs Institute, an international nonprofit organization that focuses on researching evidence-based healthcare.
- PROSPEROAn international registry for prospective systematic reviews.
- TRIP DatabaseA searchable clinical research evidence library--allows searching by PICO.
- Systematic Reviews for Animals & Food (SYREAF)Repository for review protocols and systematic reviews in any area related to food, food production, food safety, animal health, and animal welfare. SYREAF also provides information about carrying out systematic reviews.
- Campbell CollaborationCheck here for published reviews and protocols by the Campbell Collaboration, which focuses on reviews outside of clinical medicine.
- Health EvidenceCheck here for systematic reviews on public health interventions.
- EpistemonikosAn evidence library for decisions in health care and health policy.
- 3iE DatabaseInternational Initiative for Impact Evaluations is for policymakers and researchers who are looking for evidence on what works, what doesn’t, and why in development. Their evidence hub includes a systematic review repository.
- The Community GuideThe Guide to Community Preventive Services is a free database of systematic reviews to help practitioners choose programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease in their community.
- EPPI-CentreThe Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) conducts systematic reviews in the fields of Education, Health Promotion and Public Health, as well as social welfare and international development.
- The Collaboration for Environmental EvidenceThe Collaboration for Environmental Evidence (CEE) is an open community of scientists and managers working towards a sustainable global environment and the conservation of biodiversity. They provide evidence syntheses concerning environmental policy and practice.
- Library Catalog DatabasesYou can search any scholarly database that published research in your field of interest through Cornell University Library. Include "systematic review" as a search term to find systematic reviews in your discipline.
Appraising Evidence Syntheses
Appraising Existing Evidence Syntheses
Just because a review has been published, it does not imply that the review was rigorous, reproducible or exhaustive. There are a number of criteria by which you can assess the quality of an evidence synthesis. Below are the two most common tools used for this purpose.