Research empowers us to make evidence-informed choices. The most reliable way to transform research into knowledge for decision-making is knowledge synthesis (KS). A knowledge synthesis pools the findings of individual studies and contextualizes them within the larger body of knowledge on a topic. A systematic review is a common type of knowledge synthesis that is used to make sense of what is known from existing research studies while ensuring methodological transparency and reproducibility; however, a systematic review may not always be appropriate for a research question. With dozens of knowledge synthesis to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide which one to use. We set out to simplify this selection process by developing an online open-access tool, titled “Right Review”
To assist users with selecting which of the 41 included quantitative or qualitative knowledge synthesis would be appropriate for their research question through a set of simple questions.
Anyone who is interested in conducting a knowledge synthesis, especially those who are undertaking this endeavor for the first time. This includes students, reviewers, librarians, clinicians, social scientists, lawyers, activists and decision makers, and researchers not familiar with the range of knowledge synthesis.