Data Management for Systematic Reviews: Guidance is Needed

Data management practices for systematic reviews and other types of knowledge syntheses are variable, with some reviews following open science practices and others with poor reporting practices leading to lack of transparency or reproducibility. Reporting standards have improved the level of detail being shared in published reviews, and also encourage more open sharing of data from various stages of the review process. Similar to project planning or completion of an ethics application, systematic review teams should create a data management plan alongside creation of their study protocol. This commentary provides a brief description of a Data Management Plan Template created specifically for systematic reviews. It also describes the companion LibGuide which was created to provide more detailed examples, and to serve as a living document for updates and new guidance. The creation of the template was funded by the Portage Network.