Evaluation of method in systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in LIS

Abstract

The objective of the research was to evaluate systematic reviews and meta-analyses appearing in library and information science (LIS) literature. LIS databases were searched to find systematic reviews and meta-analyses published during 1996 - 2006 in LIS journals. Seven systematic reviews and five meta-analyses were selected and methods applied (identification of studies, inclusion/exclusion criteria, quality assessment, data extraction, and synthesis) were reviewed. The evaluation indicates that all systematic reviews in LIS have been published on medical library or medical information topics. Searching conducted to identify studies for systematic reviews and meta-analyses is comprehensive. Inclusion/exclusion criteria and quality standards established in systematic reviews and meta-analyses are well developed; however, in most systematic reviews, the analysis is limited to percentages rather than inferential statistics. Analysis based on inferential statistics in systematic reviews will further improve the reviews. The meta-analyses published in LIS illustrate different approaches to conducting the synthesis.