Why do we need to do SWARs?
Systematic reviews must be conducted with methodological rigour and transparency because their results affect people’s care and therefore, their lives. Reviews also need to be seen to be right.
There remain uncertainties on many methodological aspects of how we plan, do and share evidence syntheses. Designing studies that evaluate evidence synthesis methodology is necessary to ensure that evidence synthesis is efficient and sustainable. Our ‘Studies Within A Review’ (SWAR) programme of research is an exciting way to evaluate alternative options when conducting a review process (e.g. study selection, data extraction, reporting the findings) to provide much-needed evidence about how these steps in the review processes can be improved. This has the potential to reduce research waste and improve the usefulness of systematic reviews.
Call open: June 2024
Call closed: Sept 3rd 2024
Announcement:
• Lead applicants can be located in any Higher Education Institute in the world.
• However, collaboration with researchers currently resident in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland is essential.
Register for the webinar in June 2024 here
The processes by which reviews are planned, conducted, analysed and reported are informed by up-to-date research evidence rather than by convention. This maximises the likelihood that review processes are efficient, thereby minimising waste of time and other resources. Researchers should aim for comparable rigour to that with which reviews seek to answer questions about health and social care when seeking to inform decisions on how we ‘do’ reviews.
This funding scheme aims to support research teams to conduct a SWAR. Up to €6250 (inclusive of 25% overheads) is available per award.
