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Category: Project

Description: Abstract Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to identify evidence synthesis types and previously proposed classification systems, typologies or taxonomies that have guided evidence synthesis. Introduction Evidence synthesis is a constantly evolving field. There is now a plethora of evidence synthesis approaches used across many different disciplines. Historically there have been numerous attempts to organize the types and methods of evidence synthesis in the form of classification systems, typologies or taxonomies. This scoping review will seek to identify all the available classification systems, typologies or taxonomies, how they were developed, their characteristics, and the types of evidence synthesis included within them. Inclusion Criteria This scoping review will include discussion papers, commentaries, books, editorials, manuals, handbooks, and guidance from major organizations that describe multiple approaches to evidence synthesis. Methods: The Evidence Synthesis Taxonomy Initiative will support this scoping review. The search strategy will aim to locate both published and unpublished documents utilizing a three-step search strategy. An exploratory search of MEDLINE (Ovid) has identified key words and MeSH terms. A second search of MEDLINE (Ovid); Embase (Elsevier); CINAHL with full text (EBSCO); ERIC (EBSCO); Scopus (Elsevier); Compendex (Elsevier) and JSTOR will be conducted. Relevant evidence synthesis organisations will be searched. Identified documents will be independently screened, selected, and extracted by two researchers and the data will be presented in tables and summarized descriptively.