Galter Librarian Presents on Systematic Review Quality at MLA 2026

Corinne H. Miller, MLIS, Clinical Librarian, Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center, presented a poster at the 2026 Medical Library Association (MLA) Annual Meeting in Milwaukee. The research resulted from Miller’s work as a 2026 MLA Research Training Institute (RTI) participant.

Corinne's poster, titled Do Librarians Make Better Systematic Reviews? Methods and Development of a Custom Quality Assessment Rubric, reports on ongoing research examining whether librarian involvement influences the quality of systematic reviews published by Feinberg School of Medicine authors.

The study uses a matched case–control design comparing systematic reviews completed with librarian collaboration, librarian consultation or no librarian involvement. Because existing appraisal tools were not broadly applicable across all review types included in the study, the project involved the development of a custom rubric informed by established evidence synthesis standards and reporting guidelines, including PRISMA, PRISMA-S, PRESS, Cochrane, JBI and AMSTAR 2.

 The work also reflects the expanding role of health sciences librarians in evidence synthesis methodology, research collaboration and systematic review instruction. During development and pilot testing of the rubric, the project identified opportunities for improving systematic review training and support services while also highlighting methodological differences and knowledge gaps across review practices.

The MLA RTI program provides advanced research training and mentorship to health sciences librarians pursuing original research projects. Corinne’s participation in RTI and presentation at MLA 2026 highlight Galter Library’s ongoing contributions to evidence synthesis research, research methodology support and collaborative scholarly initiatives across Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.