I am happy to provide consultations and training for students/learners, up to two hours per knowledge synthesis (KS) project. Note that PhD students may enquire about exceptions to this limit.
The faculty supervisor provides mentorship and the necessary structure, training, and guidance required for students to complete a successful project. If the student/learner requires more intensive guidance, or if the KS project direction or expectations are unclear, I will refer them back to their faculty supervisor for clarification and support. Ideally, faculty supervisors should attend the first consultation, as it ensures that everyone is on the same page.
So we can use the time constructively, students will be required to complete video tutorials and pre-work to support (or complement) their learning and ensure preparation for their librarian consultation(s). Before beginning a KS project, students should fully understand each step, as well as the time, resources, and skills needed to complete an entire project from start to finish.
There are certain times of the year when students may experience lower appointment availability and slower email response times. Supervisors can supportively bridge these times by encouraging students to plan their KS project well in advance, setting realistic deadlines (especially around the searching process), and providing perspective on how long each stage of the project will take. Providing students with information about resources for writing help, available workshops, and general library help is an additional way to mitigate this issue.
Librarians can advise on how to:
Librarians cannot:
A recent article by Lipke et al. (2005) has some excellent suggestions for alternatives to a review:
Lipke, L., & Price, C. (2025). Rethinking systematic review assignment design in graduate health science education from librarians’ perspectives. Hypothesis: Research Journal for Health Information Professionals, 37(1). https://doi.org/10.18060/28463
Narrative Review
A narrative review allows students to learn the literature review process without the necessity of a comprehensive literature search, critical appraisal, data extraction, a team, or time.
A systematic or scoping review protocol contains many of the same reporting elements as the final review but can be performed as an independent exercise within a shorter amount of time.
Conducting and reporting a documented and reproducible literature search helps students understand the foundation of a systematic literature review.
Critically appraising or determining the risk of bias of a set of relevant research requires that students become familiar with the standardized instruments, research design, and advanced critical thinking skills.
Having students extract data from relevant published studies requires them to adhere to pre-defined criteria and manage research data in a transparent way.
Qualitatively describing how the data answers the research question allows students to determine strengths and weaknesses of the data, identifies evidence gaps, and compare the findings with existing scholarship.
Peer review a process all scholars will experience in their career, whether it is in the form of receiving or providing this feedback. Conducting a peer review of another student’s work allows students to learn to provide gracious yet constructive feedback. The peer review can be completed with any of the alternative assignments suggested.
While a systematized review does not meet the strict criteria for conducting and reporting a systematic review, it can work as an introduction to the process be performed by an individual or group within a shorter time frame. While pairing assignments together is not necessary, suggested pairings have been provided dependent on the scope and goals of the research methods course
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