Centre for Evidence Based Agriculture
How can evidence syntheses help you?
Do you want to know what evidence exists about:
- a particular topic or question?
- how effective an intervention is?
- the impact of an exposure?
Whether your question relates to policy, industry, practice or research a range of different types of evidence synthesis are available and these are described below. All of the evidence syntheses use the same methodology to systematically search for published and unpublished literature and filter it to identify relevant evidence. However, they differ in terms of the motivation of the review, time and finances available, comprehensiveness of the search and conclusions drawn.
Types of synthesis:
- Systematic Review
- Systematic Mapping
- Conservation Synopses
- Rapid Evidence Assessment
- Quick Scoping Review
Overview of different types of evidence synthesis:
| Systematic Review | Systematic Mapping | Conservation Synopses | Rapid Evidence Assessment | Quick Scoping Review | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Time duration |
7-72 months | 6-12 months | 12-120 months | 5-8 months | 3-5 months |
| Motivation | Critical assessment and synthesis of research studies to answer a specific question. | To describe the state of knowledge on a focussed or broad topic/question. | Evidence relating to actions that a conservationists may employ for a particular species group, habitat or conservation issue. | Rapid overview of existing research and synthesis of evidence for a topic/question. | Quick overview of research relating to a topic/question. |
| Uses systematic searching and collation | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Input from external experts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Maybe |
| Systematic map database of studies | Maybe | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Critical appraisal of study quality and relevancy and outcomes | Yes | Maybe | No | Yes | No |
| Qualitative and quantitative synthesis of findings | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Implications for policy, research, practice | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
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