Making Systematic Reviews Reproducible: Include a Librarian on the Team

Objective: Research has shown that the quality and reproducibility of systematic reviews increases when a librarian is a part of the team. Librarians bring unparalleled expertise and experience to systematic review teams; Methods: At the University of Utah, librarians are highly trained on all aspects of conducting SRs. The Systematic Review Core of the Population Health Foundation of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science has expertise to educate groups about best practices for conducting a true, replicable systematic review. Librarians help clarify the scope of the review and assist the group with registering a review protocol. By fully participating in the process, from protocol to final manuscript co-authorship, librarians have more opportunity to make sure the primary methodology for a systematic review, literature searching, is transparent and as reproducible as possible; Results: Several teams have already successfully integrated librarians into their review teams. An "Evidence Retrieval and Knowledge Synthesis Librarian" is available to work full time on systematic reviews. If groups do not have funds to fully include a librarian, they should still meet with librarians for a preliminary consultation. Partnering to ensure the highest quality of replicable research is central to the mission of the SR core; Conclusion: Interested groups should email [e-mail] for more information. They may also request a collaboration from the Study Design and Biostatistics Center in the Population Health Foundation.