Living Evidence Synthesis Toolkit
Living Map of Methods & Guidance
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Introduction
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Welcome to the Living Evidence Synthesis Toolkit Living Map of Methods & Guidance.
This living map contains methods and guidance articles about living evidence synthesis (LES), organised by 'LES Types' and 'Version'. The current version of the map (Version 2 - January to June 2026) contains methods and guidance articles about living evidence syntheses, up to 31st December 2025, plus a few such articles published during 2026 (identification of 2026 articles is ongoing).
Initially, the scope of this living map encompasses any published articles about the methods, and/or guidance on the methods, used to plan, conduct, report (disseminate) and/or use the findings of LES of any kind. LES is a general approach to keeping evidence synthesis continually updated with new evidence as it becomes available. Common kinds of LES include: living evidence maps, living systematic reviews, living economic models and living guidelines. However, in principle, any type of evidence synthesis can be conducted in living ‘mode’ (and ‘living’ is therefore conceptualised as a ‘mode’ of evidence synthesis, like ‘rapid’).
Eligible articles have been identified for the map by experienced researchers, who selected relevant articles from among the results of simple keyword searches of openalex.org and Boolean searches of Medline (Ovid SP) and Embase (Ovid SP) up to :
OpenAlex (openalex.org():
"living systematic review" in the Title field
"living evidence map" OR "living map" OR "living systematic map" in the Title or Abstract field
MEDLINE (Ovid SP):
1 meta-analysis.mp,pt. or review.pt. or search:.tw.
2 (contin* adj5 (updat* or search*)).mp. [mp=title, abstract, original title, name of substance word, subject heading word, floating sub-heading word, keyword heading word, protocol supplementary concept word, rare disease supplementary concept word, unique identifier, synonyms]
3 1 and 2
4 (living adj5 (evidence or SR or review* or overview* or over-view* or metaanaly* or meta analy* or metanaly* or meta-analy*)).mp. [mp=title, abstract, original title, name of substance word, subject heading word, floating sub-heading word, keyword heading word, protocol supplementary concept word, rare disease supplementary concept word, unique identifier, synonyms]
5 LSR.mp.
6 3 or 4 or 5
Embase (Ovid SP)
#1 'systematic review'/exp OR 'systematic review'
#2 'review'/it
#3 'meta analysis (topic)'
#4 'meta analysis'
#5 'meta analysis'/de
#6 #1 OR #2 OR #3 OR #4 OR #5
#7 'contin*' NEAR/5 ('updat*' OR 'search*')
#8 #6 AND #7
#9 'lsr'
#10 living NEAR/5 ('evidence' OR 'sr' OR 'review*' OR 'overview*' OR 'over view*' OR 'metanaly*' OR 'metaanaly*' OR 'meta analy*')
#11 #8 OR #9 OR #10
Two researchers independently screened each title-abstract record, with disagreements reconciled by discussion and consensus. From April 2026 onwards, screening is undertaken with reference to these living guidance notes: Guidance Notes (April 2026), which have also been retrospectively applied to articles added to the map before this date.
Included articles are currently classified according to 'LES Type' only (along with 'Version' which shows when included articles were published).
Methods for continually identifying and classifying studies for this living map will evolve over future versions. Provisionally, we will aim to update this living map twice each year at the end of June and December.
For all enquiries about this living map, please e-mail Ian Shemilt at the EPPI Centre, University College London.
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Publications by year
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Maps(3D) & Crosstabs(2D)
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| Selected node: N\A | |
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