Cochrane Library and Campbell

Collaboration

 Monique Andrews,
Librarian, Purdy
Kresge Library

and

 Nancy Wilmes,
Librarian,
Science &
Engineering Library
Cochrane Library

 Collection of databases

 Contains “high-quality, independent

evidence to inform health-care decision
making.”

 Includes: reliable evidence from Cochrane

and other systematic reviews, clinical
trials, method studies, technology
assessments, etc.
What is a Systematic Review?

 Contains best evidence from research

 Uses “predefined, explicit methodology”
 Methods used: identify relevant studies, select
for inclusion, collect and combine data (studies
selected regardless of their results)
 Does not need to contain statistical synthesis of
data from the included studies.
 The results/data of individual studies combined
to produce an overall statistic = meta-analysis
(meta-analysis can be done without a systematic review)
Searching

 Enter search: child abuse (in Title, Abstract or KW)

– basic search (also advanced search)

 Retrieve records of reviews or protocols, etc.

 Click on Record

 Then click on Summary, Standard or Full

versions of the review (all in PDF format)

 Read, print or download review

Cochrane Reviews also by Searching:

 CINAHL® (Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health

Literature) enter:
child abuse and limit to SO (publication name)
= Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

 PubMed @Wayne:
enter:
(cochrane database syst rev) and (child
abuse)
 The Campbell Collaboration
 Systematic reviews in education, crime and justice,
and social welfare.

 Reviews are produced by volunteer “coordinating

groups.”

 Includes full-text reviews, and in-process titles.

 Not even close in size to the Cochrane databases.

 It’s free.
 Challenges to finding systematic
reviews

 PICO formula:
• Patient
• Intervention
• Comparison
• Outcome

 RCTs (Randomized Controlled Trials)

• Unfortunately not a common practice in social work research
• Usually would not withhold an intervention from a population group
Challenges to finding systematic
reviews

 Social Services Abstracts, Social Work

Abstracts, and Criminal Justice Abstracts
 No feature to limit to “meta analysis”

 PsycINFO
 Can select “meta analysis” or “systematic review”
from the advanced search options under
methodology.