The library has revised the support it gives to groups of researchers carrying out externally funded Systematic Reviews. Request It! budgets are limited, so we firstly ask that you build some costs into the funding bid for provision of requests. If you are conducting a Systematic Review, we ask that you inform the Academic Librarian team.

If you tell us, we can:

• ensure that the Systematic Review does not adversely impact your personal Request It! allowance. We can note that the increased number of requests being placed through an account is for a Systematic Review, ensure they are charged back to your externally funded research project and organise some flexibility around collecting requests which were placed by another member of the research team.  
• fulfil requests more effectively - advance knowledge of Systematic Reviews taking place means we can allocate staffing resources appropriately based on the anticipated number of requests. We can then give you a realistic turnaround time for requests.
• gather useful information for future Systematic Reviews - historically there was no clear picture of how many requests submitted were for Systematic Reviews. The new system clearly distinguishes between departmental requests and those for Systematic Reviews. This means you have an accurate picture of the actual number of requests submitted for each review.
• advise on search strategy – if we know you’re working on a systematic review, the Academic Librarian team can offer advice on where best to look for material and how to optimise your search.

Electronic requests are intended for individual use. Should multiple individuals within the project require access, we can provide each person with their own copy. If you specify the recipients for each request, we'll ensure all relevant parties receive access.

We hope that this policy will simplify procedures and allow the Library to support research activity effectively.