Open AccessAn Exploration of Systematic Review Publication Trends in Conservation Biology Journals
Author(s) -
Jocelyn Boice
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
issues in science and technology librarianship
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.303
H-Index - 15
ISSN - 1092-1206
DOI - 10.29173/istl2
Subject(s) - systematic review , documentation , scientific literature , discipline , data science , library science , medline , computer science , political science , social science , biology , sociology , paleontology , law , programming language
Researchers in conservation biology and other non-medical fields are adopting systematic review as a research methodology. Since this methodology requires extensive and well-documented literature searching, it is beneficial for information professionals to understand disciplinary developments in its use. This article investigates trends in systematic review publication in conservation biology journals between 1998 and 2017 and examines the prevalence of search reporting among these systematic reviews. Results show an increase in published systematic reviews over the study period, and the majority of these include a description of the literature search. However, evidence of variable search quality and reporting indicates an important role for librarians in improving literature search strategies and documentation.