How does the Library support Systematic Reviews?

The library has revised the support it gives to groups of researchers carrying out Systematic Reviews. Request It! budgets are limited and intended for study-related requests from staff and students.

Externally funded Systematic Reviews:

We ask that you build some costs into the external funding bids for provision of requests. Once funding has been granted, contact the Academic Librarian team.

Unfunded, internal LBU supported Systematic reviews

If you are conducting an unfunded Systematic Review, we ask that you inform the Academic Librarian team to discuss your requirements. We may ask you to help provide funding.

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.  
• Ensure each member of the Systematic Review Team receives a legal copy of the requested articles
• 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.

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