The third annual Evidence Synthesis Institute Canada was held virtually on March 18-21st, 2024. The Canadian institute was piloted in 2022, generously funded by UVic Libraries. In 2023 and 2024, the institute was offered in partnership with the Canadian Association of Research Libraries. This year, the Canadian institute welcomed 54 librarian participants from across Canada. While led by UVic’s Health Research Librarian, Zahra Premji, it is the result of a true team effort including contributions from Julie Morin (senior project officer at CARL), 5 librarian instructors, and 4 learning facilitators (who themselves are previous institute participants). The materials and content from all three Canadian institutes are openly available in a Pressbook.
Zahra is passionate about Evidence Synthesis, and is involved in many initiatives related to these methodologies, including offering a workshop series at UVic each semester, contributing to the grants menu item for grant-funded evidence synthesis at UVic, as well as various national initiatives geared towards capacity building among librarians.
“Evidence syntheses are an important evidence product used by various stakeholders including policy makers, funders, and practitioners. But to be useful, they must be conducted rigorously, in a way that minimizes bias and ensures transparency. The various supports provided at UVic Libraries (workshops, research consultations, collaboration opportunities) help researchers learn about methodological expectations and implement best practices, resulting in a higher quality review.“ – Zahra Premji