Dipping Your Toes into Evidence Synthesis: Understanding Review Types, Crafting Research Questions, and Basics of Comprehensive Searching (Online)

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This introductory session is designed to guide participants through the foundational elements of evidence synthesis, focusing on the essential skills for crafting research questions, understanding review types, and building comprehensive search strategies. By the end of the class, participants will be able to:

• Understand Different Review Types: Learn about various types of reviews, such as systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and narrative reviews, and determine which is most suitable for their research question.
• Craft Effective Research Questions: Utilize frameworks like PICO (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) to formulate clear, focused research questions that guide the evidence synthesis process.
• Develop a Concept Table: Map out key concepts and terms for each component of the research question to inform the search strategy.
• Navigate Comprehensive Searching: Gain an understanding of how to build effective search strategies using both natural language and controlled vocabulary (e.g., MeSH, Emtree). Learn to select appropriate databases like PubMed, Ovid Embase, and TRIP, and refine search strategies to minimize bias and ensure comprehensive coverage.
• Document Search Strategies: Understand the importance of tracking search strategies and results to maintain transparency and reproducibility, including the use of search logs and citation management tools like EndNote.

This class is ideal for anyone new to evidence synthesis, including researchers, students, and clinicians who are looking to strengthen their ability to conduct systematic reviews or other types of evidence synthesis. Whether you're beginning a review or refining your skills, this session will provide the necessary tools to help you get started with evidence-based research.

Format: Lecture-style presentation with opportunities for discussion and Q&A.