Systematic Reviews & Other Syntheses

After the first stage of screening (titles/abstracts) you will need to retrieve the full text of potentially relevant reports:

• Some full text may be free or open access, but the majority will likely be made available via Queen's University Library (QUL).
• Full text not otherwise available can be requested through the library’s interlibrary loan service.

There are a few different ways to retrieve full text available via QUL. Some options include:

Option 1 - Omni article search:

• Use the library’s discovery tool Omni to search for each article title individually.
• In many cases there will be an “Available Online” option for journal articles that the library provides access to.

Option 2 - Omni journal search:

• Use Omni to search for the Journal that the article is published in.
• In many cases there will be an “Available Online” option for journals that the library provides access to.
• Proceed to the journal website and use the article citation information to locate the volume, issue, page numbers and/or article title of interest (hint: there is usually a tab for “Archives” or “Previous Issues”).

Option 3 - Covidence bulk PDF upload:

• If you are using Covidence review software to facilitate the screening process, then EndNote desktop (the citation manager that Queen’s provides institutional access to) can act as an intermediary for retrieving full text articles in bulk.
• Refer to the bulk PDF upload instructions available from Covidence.
• Note: individual full text articles can also be added manually in Covidence.

If QUL does not provide access to the full text needed, you can request it via the library’s interlibrary loan service one of two ways.

Please note: the turnaround time for receiving PDFs via email can be as quick as one or two business days, however, if the article is quite dated, it may take longer to track down and receive.

Generally, there is no charge for this service. If any charges arise, you will be contacted by the interlibrary loans department prior to your request being processed.

Option 1 - Searching in Omni:

• If you are using Omni to search for each article title, turn on the option to "Expand search beyond Queen's collection":

• If QUL does not provide access to the full text, you'll see the link "Unavailable - Get if from another library":

• This will bring you to an auto-populated request form. Select your "Preferred Queen's Pickup" library location (even though most full text will be sent via email as PDFs) then "Send Request".
   

Option 2 - Go straight to the Blank Request Form: 

• Select the citation type "Article".
• Use the DOI or PMID to auto fill the form or complete the required fields manually.
• You will be asked to select a "Preferred Queen's Pickup" library location (even though most full text will be sent via email as PDFs).
• "Send Request".