The hidden benefits of helping students with systematic reviews

Abstract

Helping students with systematic reviews goes against the instinct of many librarians, who see it as their duty to talk researchers out of these projects rather than to assist them. My perspective on helping students with systematic reviews changed after meeting with one student a few years ago. However, the question of whether the finished product will be publication-worthy or entirely free of error is secondary, in my view, to other potential benefits to the student in completing the assignment.