Reviews and Reviewing: Approaches to Research Synthesis. An Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST) paper

Abstract

Reviews have long been recognized as among the most important forms of scientific communication. The rapid growth of the primary literature has further increased the need for reviews to distill and interpret the literature. This review on Reviews and Reviewing: Approaches to Research Synthesis encompasses the evolution of the review literature, taxonomy of review literature, uses and users of reviews, the process of preparing reviews, assessment of review quality and impact, the impact of information technology on the preparation of reviews, and research opportunities for information science related to reviews and reviewing. In addition to providing a synthesis of prior research, this review seeks to identify gaps in the published research and to suggest possible future research directions.

Enhancing the quality and efficiency of regulatory science literature reviews through innovation and collaboration with library and information science experts

“…Indeed, a whole field of library and information science has evolved to develop methods for the management and discoverability of research data for research synthesis, whether in the published literature or in data repositories ( 30 ). Those skilled in information science can provide invaluable insights into the best approaches to identify potentially relevant literature ( 27 – 29 ).…”