Policy and grey literature in evidence synthesis: Deepening discovery for systematic and scoping reviews
Sponsored by Overton
Recorded on 05/14/2026Posted in Scholarly Communication and Research
Learn the importance of policy and grey literature as sources for evidence synthesis and gain practical insights into how this evidence can be discovered.
Access the presentation slides.
Summary:
For librarians looking to support their research communities with evidence synthesis, there is an overwhelming and growing number of sources where research and evidence can be found. There is also an expectation for these types of reviews to incorporate research and outputs beyond what is published in academic journals. But where is this kind of evidence stored and is it systematically searchable?
This webinar brings together a panel of experts to discuss the importance of diversifying and expanding the type of evidence used in evidence synthesis to include policy documents and other grey literature. This session will showcase examples of how this kind of evidence has already been integrated into systematic and scoping reviews and will also consider what crucial parts of the puzzle lie beyond traditional publishing outputs.
In this 1-hour session, participants will:
- Hear from academic library experts on the importance of evidence syntheses that account for evidence beyond academic journals.
- Learn from panelists who have supported this type of work and successfully integrated diverse evidence.
- Understand some of the tools that can support the methodological and systematic searching of grey literature and policy documents.
Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the importance of policy and grey literature as sources for evidence synthesis, along with practical insights into how this evidence can be discovered.
Speakers:
John Barbrook
Faculty Librarian (Content) for Science and Technology and Health and MedicineLancaster University
Quenby Mahood
Information Specialist, Knowledge SynthesisUnity Health Toronto
Sarah Young
Social Sciences Librarian and Director of the Evidence Synthesis ProgramCarnegie Mellon University Libraries
Euan Adie
Founder and DirectorOverton
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This webinar is a paid sponsorship opportunity. The products, services and opinions presented herein do not constitute a CHOICE, ACRL, or ALA endorsement of any kind.
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