This is a story about a research scholar who does “Secondary research” – that is research about research publications. Across the world “Information Specialists” (most often librarians) have a strong role in such research. They help to search all synonyms and variations. They help in searching several databases and lots more. All this work helps to ensure that no publication is missed and evidence is created from all available data.
Raghul Durairaj a researcher with a Masters in Public Health, went through our courses and shares his story:
Two years ago, I embarked on evidence synthesis projects, participating in four systematic reviews across India. We never consulted an information specialist for our search strategies, unaware of their vital role.
I learned about the importance of information specialists while proposing a Cochrane systematic review, which mandates their inclusion. A friend introduced me to the QMed Knowledge Foundation and Ms. Vasumathi Sriganesh, who became pivotal in my research journey.
Eager to enhance my skills, I sought training from Ms. Vasumathi. With an upcoming systematic review under the “Early Career Research Grant” from RSTMH, UK, I completed QMed’s online courses on search strategy development before diving into my project.
Initially, I planned to rely on the QMed team for the entire search strategy but was encouraged to take the lead. With their support, I independently developed and translated a search strategy for six databases, overcoming my initial hesitation.
I’m proud that my peer-reviewed search strategy was crafted with guidance from an Indian information specialist. The process took three weeks, and while I know I’m not yet ready to tackle every search independently, I now feel confident in collaborating effectively with specialists.
Our team saved time during article screening thanks to Ms. Vasumathi’s guidance in extracting articles from non-traditional databases like Google Scholar, ensuring we didn’t miss critical studies.
My experience with the QMed team has been transformative. I look forward to future collaborations and hope more researchers in India will seek out information specialists to elevate the quality of evidence-based research.
We at QMed hope to help and mentor many such researchers!