We recommend you attend one of our group sessions prior to booking a one-to-one meeting, but when you are ready, we are able to offer one-to-one meetings to discuss your specific questions about systematic reviews. In these meetings we can give advice about search strategy development or how a reference manager can be used to aid in the management of the systematic review.
In order to use this service you should be a registered member of the Medical Library. Please contact librarytraining@medschl.cam.ac.uk in order to book a meeting with a librarian.
There are also a number of books available in the Medical Library about systematic reviews. Here are a selection, click on the link to access the iDiscover (link opens in new window) record.
iDiscover link to Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (link opens in new window)
iDiscover link to Systematic reviews in health care (link opens in new window)
iDiscover link to Systematic Reviews (link opens in new window)
If you would like further support for your systematic review the Medical Library offers regular training sessions on writing protocols and conducting systematic reviews. Details of future training dates can be found here
University of Cambridge staff and students should book using your Raven account. NHS staff please email: librarytraining@medschl.cam.ac.uk to book your place.
You may also wish to consider doing the Essentials of Conducting Systematic Reviews online module on literature searching. This is a self-directed course produced by Queen's University in Canada, so do be aware that some resources mentioned may not be available to you through University of Cambridge subscriptions. The course itself is free to undertake.
If you are conducting a systematic review and would like us to do the search for you please complete the systematic review search request form (link opens in new window) and we will get back to you to provide the help you need. We are not able to carry out searches for any assessed pieces of university work (including assignments, dissertations, or PhD theses, even if you plan to publish them later).
Several years ago the Medical Library made a systematic reviews advent calendar (link opens in new window), covering 24 different resources which help at different stages of the systematic review process.
A number of other libraries have produced guides to systematic reviews. Please find links to some of these below.
Eleanor and Veronica from the Medical Library have published a peer-reviewed journal article on structure, form, and content of systematic reviews:
Phillips, V., and Barker, E. Systematic reviews: structure, form and content. (link opens in new window) Journal of Perioperative Practice (2021); online first.