A Content Analysis of Systematic Review Online Library Guides

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip29819

Abstract

Objective – Online library guides can serve as resources for students and researchers conducting systematic literature reviews. There is a need to develop learner-centered library guides to build capacity for systematic review skills. The objective of this study was to explore the content of existing systematic review library guides at research universities.

Methods – We conducted a content analysis of systematic review library guides from English-speaking universities. We identified 18 institutions for inclusion using a Scopus search to find the institutions with the highest number of systematic review publications. We conducted a content analysis of those institutions’ library guides, coding for the types of resources included, and the stage of the systematic review process to which they referred. A chi-square test was used to determine whether the differences in distribution of the resource types within each systematic review stage were statistically significant.

Results – The most common type of resource was informational in content. Only 24% of the content analysed was educational. The most common stage of the systematic review process was conducting searches. The chi-square test revealed significant differences for seven of the nine systematic review stages.

Conclusion – We found that many library guides were heavily informational and lacking in instructional and skills focused content. There is a significant opportunity for librarians to turn their systematic review guides into practical learning tools through the development and assessment of online instructional tools to support student and researcher learning.

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Author Biographies

Jennifer Lee, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Associate Librarian, Libraries and Cultural Resources

K. Alix Hayden, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Librarian, Libraries and Cultural Resources

Heather Ganshorn, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Associate Librarian, Libraries and Cultural Resources

Helen Pethrick, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Graduate Student, Werklund School of Education

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Published

2021-03-15

How to Cite

Lee, J., Hayden, K. A., Ganshorn, H., & Pethrick, H. (2021). A Content Analysis of Systematic Review Online Library Guides. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 16(1), 60–77. https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip29819

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Section

Research Articles