Queen’s University Library is pleased to announce an interprofessional collaboration that led to the production of an open educational resource (OER) to help address barriers and gaps in systematic review education.
The Essentials of Conducting Systematic Reviews contains eight self-paced, asynchronous modules:
- Introduction to Systematic Reviews
- Formulating Review Questions and Protocols
- Searching for Eligible Studies
- Selecting Studies
- Extracting Data
- Assessing Risk of Bias Synthesizing and Disseminating Findings
- Using Review Tools, Automation and AI
Each module comprises three to five lessons, incorporating interactive activities and knowledge-check questions throughout. Learners can complete individual modules to address specific knowledge gaps or complete the full series for a foundational overview.
Each module is accredited for up to one hour of continuing professional development (CPD) through either the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the College of Family Physicians of Canada. However, the primary target audience is any student, faculty, or staff in the health sciences. Optional, anonymous evaluation surveys at the end of each module allow learners to generate a certificate of completion, which is delivered by email. The certificate can also serve as evidence of CPD for other professions.
While the module series was designed to support the production of high-quality systematic reviews, many of the concepts are transferrable to other evidence synthesis methodologies.
Questions about the OER can be directed to: sandra.mckeown@queensu.ca.
