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Apologies for cross-posting CALL FOR PAPERS RESEARCH SYNTHESIS METHODS Editors: Hannah Rothstein and Ian Schrier http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1759-2887 SPECIAL ISSUE: INNOVATION IN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL METHODS FOR EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Guest Editors: Suzy Paisley School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield ( [log in to unmask]) Margaret Foster Libraries, Texas A&M University ([log in to unmask]) Deadline for submissions: 28th February 2017 The editors and guest editors of Research Synthesis Methods invite submissions for a special issue on information retrieval methods. Background to special issue Information retrieval methods for evidence synthesis face a number of challenges resulting from the environment within which evidence synthesis studies are undertaken and from the latest developments in information technology. Evidence based practice is being adopted in an ever widening scope of fields including public health, veterinary medicine, education, social care and criminal justice. Review questions are wide-ranging and increasingly complex. Decision makers require timely access to evidence that is fit for the purpose of decision-making and that addresses a range of issues beyond ‘does this intervention work?’ The definition of evidence is increasingly varied in design, format and location. The portfolio of evidence synthesis methods has grown and diversified beyond systematic reviews of structured, focussed questions to encompass different approaches to quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods evidence synthesis. In the wider context, advancements in information technology are transforming the ways in which information is organised and accessed. Harnessing these developments provides both challenging and exciting opportunities for information retrieval methods. All of these factors have implications for the methods by which we search for, retrieve and curate the evidence-base for evidence synthesis studies. Objectives of special issue To advance information retrieval methods to address the challenges of searching in increasingly complex evidence synthesis and information landscapes. To introduce researchers and practitioners to the latest innovative methods and practice in information retrieval for evidence synthesis. Scope of papers (including but not limited to): ● Searching for evidence on complex topics ● Different evidence synthesis types (e.g. qualitative synthesis, Bayesian synthesis, decision-analytic models) ● Different review types (e.g. rapid reviews, mapping reviews) ● Complex search environment and evidence formats (e.g. grey literature, scattered information, web-searching, identifying datasets and other non-standard information formats) ● Searching in different fields (e.g. public health, veterinary medicine, education, social care and criminal justice) ● Harnessing advances in information technology (e.g. text mining, living systematic reviews) ● Efficient searching ● Assessing the quality of searching (e.g. alternative measures to sensitivity) ● Managing and reporting the search process (e.g. data management of the search process) Case studies that are restricted to a single application of an innovative approach should demonstrate how they relate to the broader advancement of information retrieval methods for evidence synthesis. Deadline for submissions The deadline for papers to be considered for this special issue is 28 February 2017. All papers will undergo the standard masked peer review process and must meet the standards of the RSM Editorial Policy Statement: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1759-2887/homepage/ForAuthors.html Potential authors may contact the guest editors for more details. Yours truly Suzy Paisley and Margaret Foster Guest Editors Suzy Paisley ScHARR (School of Health and Related Research), University of Sheffield [log in to unmask] https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/scharr/sections/heds/staff/paisley_s Margaret Foster Libraries, Texas A&M University [log in to unmask] http://guides.library.tamu.edu/profile/margaretfoster