Evidence synthesis refers to the process of bringing together information from a range of sources and disciplines to inform debates and decisions on specific issues. They generally include a methodical and comprehensive literature synthesis focused on a well-formulated research question. Their aim is to identify and synthesize all of the scholarly research on a particular topic, including both published and unpublished studies.
Researchers who conduct evidence synthesis projects endeavor to do so in an unbiased, reproducible way. Systematic Reviews represent a type of evidence synthesis.
Evidence syntheses are much more time-intensive than traditional literature reviews and require a multi-person research team. If you are considering an evidence synthesis project, please contact a UCSC librarian at research@library.ucsc.edu.