Developing tools and technology for evidence synthesis
Evidence synthesis (ES) is the process of converting scientific outputs - such as articles, reports and data - into reliable and digestible evidence that can inform management or policy.
ES is critical to evidence-informed decision-making in a range of fields from environmental conservation to medicine; but ES projects can be particularly time-consuming and resource-intensive.
We believe that ES can be made more resource-efficient, timely, transparent, rigorous and accessible by developing and improving the ecosystem of available Open Science tools for effective synthesis.
We created the Evidence Synthesis Hackathon (ESH) series to bring together interested researchers, practitioners and coders to discuss and develop new Open Source technologies for ES applications.
ES is critical to evidence-informed decision-making in a range of fields from environmental conservation to medicine; but ES projects can be particularly time-consuming and resource-intensive.
We believe that ES can be made more resource-efficient, timely, transparent, rigorous and accessible by developing and improving the ecosystem of available Open Science tools for effective synthesis.
We created the Evidence Synthesis Hackathon (ESH) series to bring together interested researchers, practitioners and coders to discuss and develop new Open Source technologies for ES applications.
Upcoming Events
Our events support the growth of new ideas, software, and collaborations for improved evidence synthesis.All in-person events are currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. ESH Ottawa 2020 has been cancelled as a live event, but may proceed as a virtual event, possibly at a later time. For more information click here.
Our Network
We support participants from around the world to meet and work together to solve key problemsLatest Blogposts
Choosing databases for Systematic ReviewsAn Interview with Michael Gusenbauer
Michael Gusenbauer is an assistant professor at the Institute of Innovation Management (ifi) at Johannes Kepler University (JKU) Linz. Here Michael talks about his recent article with Neal Haddaway on selecting academic search systems for systematic reviews.
Technology paves the way for African evidence synthesisPlanning for ESH Johannesburg 2020
This is a version of our article ‘The Evidence Synthesis Hackathon: A global community building technology for more rigorous, efficient, and just evidence synthesis’, published by The Conversation, 1 July 2019.
Introducing EviAtlasIn discussion with the EviAtlas team
EviAtlas is a brand new tool for visualising evidence bases produced within systematic reviews and systematic maps, helping researchers to create interactive graphics and identify patterns, gaps and clusters in the evidence. EviAtlas was produced by a team of volunteers working across three Evidence Synthesis Hackathon events (ESH2018, miniESH2018 and ESH2019). Here, we speak to the team about their new tool and their experiences with ESH.
Reflections on ESH Canberra 2019An interview with Martin Westgate
Martin is a co-founder of the evidence synthesis hackathon series and part of the organising team for ESH 2019, which was held at the University of New South Wales' Canberra campus in April. Here he reflects on that event and where the ESH series is headed next.
Building metaforAn interview with Wolfgang Viechtbauer
Wolfgang is associate professor of statistics at Maastricht University. In addition to a successful career in meta-research, Wolfgang's hugely-influential software package 'metafor' is the default method for meta-analysis in R. Here Wolfgang answers some of our questions about his work and the importance of open science.
What is the Evidence Synthesis Hackathon?An interview with Neal Haddaway
In the first of our blog series, Neal Haddaway, a Research Fellow from the Stockholm Environmental Institute, answers our questions about what exactly the Evidence Synthesis Hackathon is and how Evidence Synthesis Technology can support rigorous evidence-informed decision-making.