How to Produce Evidence Summaries (Online)
2027 dates TBC
Register your interest here and we will be in touch when we have new dates.
Course prerequisites
A knowledge of searching bibliographic databases would be beneficial. If you are looking for training on systematic literature searching, please see our Systematic Approaches to Searching for Evidence course.
This course focuses on summarising evidence quickly, in order to produce an evidence summary (e.g. a brief overview of the evidence in a particular topic). If you need to formally conduct a rapid review, please see our Rapid Review Methods course.
Please note this course does not cover how to conduct a systematic review. If you are interested in systematic review training, please see our Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis course. For conducting qualitative reviews, please see our Evidence Synthesis of Qualitative Research in Europe (ESQUIRE) course.
About the course
This online course introduces participants to the concept of rapid research synthesis, exploring practical ways to gather evidence quickly to inform decision-making and produce concise evidence summaries and briefings. Guided by a tried and tested 5-stage approach - Compiling, Analysing, Note-taking, Appraising, and Interpreting - we will take you step-by-step through the synthesis process. During the course, we will explore ways to identify high-quality evidence to address a particular topic or question, extract key findings and themes, and use effective tools to bring the results together into a concise, useful briefing.
Although examples mostly draw from the health sciences, the course is suitable for anyone wanting to develop skills to summarize evidence quickly and present it in a user-friendly format.
Feedback from previous attendees
"This was usefully pitched between a basic searching course and a full-blown systematic review tutorial."
"This course covers a lot of ground in a very accessible and approachable way, and there are things I can take forward and share with colleagues."
"It was a fantastic course. A good mix of lecture-style delivery and theory with interactive practice exercises. I appreciated the diversity of examples, not just from health. I also really appreciated the amount of tools that were shared"
"The course was very engaging."
Who will benefit from the course?
If you are new to research synthesis or need to expand your skill set to include rapid synthesis then this course will be ideal. It will offer an introduction to synthesis for those who do not need to undertake full scale systematic reviews, but would like to be able to bring research findings together simply and quickly to produce an evidence summary or briefing. Typical participants might be:
- Health librarians and information specialists
- Postgraduate students
- Academics & researchers
- Health and social care clinicians/practitioners
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Identify suitable evidence within different time frames
- Summarise the evidence critically
- Present the summary in a variety of forms
- Know how and when to use tables and graphics to enhance the summary
Course faculty
Angie Ryan (Course lead), University Teacher
Dr Lukasz Lagojda, Research Associate
- Dates and times
2027 TBC
- Fees
The fee for this course has not been set.
Current UOS Staff/Students
Current University of Sheffield staff and students are eligible to book at a reduced rate. An active @sheffield.ac.uk email address is required to book at this reduced rate.
Please see Booking and payment section for further details.
All fees are VAT exempt.
- Booking and payment
Payment can be made via credit / debit card or PayPal.
Non-University of Sheffield applicants - If your employer is paying your fees and they require an invoice, please ensure you have your purchase order details before making your booking.
Current University of Sheffield staff and students – If you would prefer to be invoiced or to pay via an internal transfer, a purchase order will be required before you make your booking. Please contact your department administrator or finance team for help with this.
Difficulties making your booking?
If you are having difficulties making your booking, please contact the Online Store directly at onlinestore@sheffield.ac.uk
- Course Delivery/Requirements
This course will be delivered using the University's 'Blackboard' platform.
* NHS staff - important note: We are aware of issues caused by NHS firewalls. We recommend registering with an alternative/non-NHS email and using a non-NHS device when attending the course if possible. Thank you *
Requirements:
- Reliable and stable internet connection.
- A PC or laptop
- Webcam and microphone (preferably a USB headset)
- Preferably a quiet room where there will be no/minimal disruption.
- Ability to access Google applications (e.g. Google Docs, Google Sites, Google Sheets).
- Contact
For further information please do not hesitate to contact us:
Email at smph-shortcourses@sheffield.ac.uk.
The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it is up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research, funding changes, professional accreditation requirements, student or employer feedback, outcomes of reviews, and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we'll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.
Information last updated: 03 November 2026