Structure and elements of library evidence synthesis services: a content analysis of publicly available information

Through a content analysis of public websites, this paper provides a centralized and summarized picture of evidence synthesis (ES) service characteristics at academic libraries and medical schools and centers in the United States in the mid-2020s.

Our team identified 116 institutions classified in the 2021 Carnegie Classification as R1, R2, or Medical Schools and Centers that had an ES service. These services were coded for service characteristics. Using frequency and comparison tables, we answered the following research questions: What are the common structures and characteristics of ES services, within and independent of Carnegie Classification of Research Activity? Is there any relationship between Carnegie Classification of Research Activity and Size & Setting and characteristics of ES services?

We found that services often used tiers to delineate between services offered, with higher tiers requiring more responsibilities from the library or information professional. Some universities and medical schools limit librarian involvement with ES projects based on user role (student, faculty, researcher, etc.) or user affiliation with a college or department. Librarian acknowledgment or authorship are common in return for engagement in ES projects. Fees and Memoranda of Understanding were uncommon but do exist at some institutions.

Librarians seeking to create or update their ES service can benefit from this 'data snapshot,& as it will allow them to see the service elements under consideration by other institutions and offer ideas for their own services. Overall, we found that there were more similarities than differences between basic ES service structures (e.g. tier amounts/categories, presence of fees, etc.), independent of classification type or size setting. We recommend that librarians utilize this paper and the associated data in order to identify which institutional elements are important in their context for ideas in improving their ES service.