Systematic Map Protocol

Version 1.0 of the EntoGEM systematic map protocol is registered on Open Science Framework. The full text of the protocol is included below, or you can visit the protocol registration on OSF to download the protocol.

Article Screening Platform

We are using SysRev to screen articles for EntoGEM. SysRev is a platform that facilitates article screening for systematic reviews, including automatically distributing review tasks to participants and exporting the results of screening. Most importantly, it lets us make the screening process transparent and the results publicly available! See the embedded blog post about SysRev below for more information about the platform.

For the latest updates on the project, including number of articles screened, articles tagged, and articles included, please visit the SysRev project page.

Ways to Get Involved

To get involved in the project in any way, please fill out the form at the bottom of this page so the project coordinators can get in contact with you, or email eliza.grames@uconn.edu.

Participate in article screening.

Our search for studies documenting insect population and biodiversity trends has retrieved tens of thousands of studies, which need to be screened to determine if they meet the eligibility criteria. We are using SysRev.com to facilitate article screening by anyone who wants to join the project. To ensure reliability during the screening process, every article will be screened by at least two people, and we ask that you complete a brief training module on how to apply the eligibility criteria.

Submit data sets or studies.

Despite our best efforts to develop a comprehensive search, we know there are studies that will be missed because they are difficult to find, are unsearchable, or not digitized! For example, many regional entomological societies and local governments may have decades of insect monitoring data locked away in a file drawer. If you know of such datasets, please get in touch! At this stage, we do not necessarily even need the data; we just need to know it exists and some basic information about it so that we can include it in the map.

Write software supporting partial automation.

We are using new evidence synthesis tools to partially automate article screening by removing articles that were retrieved by necessarily broad search terms, but that are not relevant (e.g. searching for studies on changes in insect abundance also retrieves studies on changes in gene abundance in drosophila). If you are interested in working on open source evidence synthesis technology or training algorithms to pre-sort articles (e.g. using sentiment analysis) to support the project, please get in touch!

Please express interest in joining the project using the form below; we will follow up to answer any questions you have and get you set up with the training module if you want to screen articles.

What is a systematic map?

A systematic map is a form of evidence synthesis. Evidence synthesis incorporates information from multiple sources to inform decisions on a specific issue using techniques like systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Unlike systematic reviews or meta-analyses that aim to answer specific questions related to impacts or effectiveness of different management decisions and policies, systematic maps aim to describe the state of evidence bases.

Systematic maps can be used to highlight knowledge gaps and knowledge clusters, helping to direct efforts towards funding and conducting necessary primary research. The output of a systematic map is a searchable database of studies on a broad subject, which can be a jumping off point for future, more in-depth systematic reviews and meta-analyses on knowledge clusters identified through the mapping process.

To map the state of the evidence on global insect trends, we are organizing a community-driven systematic mapping project guided by a core group of subject experts and research synthesis experts. The final product of this project will be a global, multi-lingual map of all known studies, published and unpublished, that document evidence of insect population and biodiversity trends over time.

For an example of a recent systematic map, we suggest browsing through Cheng et al. (2019). A systematic map of evidence on the contribution of forests to poverty alleviation. Environmental Evidence, 8:3. Systematic maps do not necessarily have to take the form of a geographic map, though they often include geographic components; for example, Cheng et al. (2019) mapped knowledge clusters and gaps based on how many studies covered topics of interest (Figure 10 from Cheng et al. 2019).

Funding

Given the importance and urgency of knowing the state of the evidence regarding insect population and biodiversity trends, we are mostly pursuing this project as a labor of love. Because it is secondary research, there are no direct costs incurred for supplies, however, the project requires time and effort by the project coordinators and the community which is invaluable.

We are grateful to have support for EntoGEM from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, which provides funding for project coordination and administration. We are also grateful to SysRev for a mini-grant supporting the project, which funds the time spent by undergraduate students and recent graduates screening articles.

We would love to be able to pay more people for their time screening articles to help the process go faster and be able to release the systematic map sooner. If you know of any grants or organizations that would support this type of project, let us know!

News and Updates