title: Living systematic reviews: an emerging opportunity to narrow the evidence-practice gap.
abstract: The current difficulties in keeping systematic reviews up to date leads to considerable inaccuracy, hampering the translation of knowledge into action. Incremental advances in conventional review updating are unlikely to lead to substantial improvements in review currency. A new approach is needed. We propose living systematic review as a contribution to evidence synthesis that combines currency with rigour to enhance the accuracy and utility of health evidence. Living systematic reviews are high quality, up-to-date online summaries of health research, updated as new research becomes available, and enabled by improved production efficiency and adherence to the norms of scholarly communication. Together with innovations in primary research reporting and the creation and use of evidence in health systems, living systematic review contributes to an emerging evidence ecosystem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, Melbourne, Australia ; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Julian H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia ; World Vision Australia, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Tari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: National Trauma Research Institute, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Ornella
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Clavisi
authors.affiliation: EPPI-Centre, Institute of Education, University of London, London, England.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, England ; Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, England.
authors.forename: Julian P T
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.affiliation: Informatics and Knowledge Management Department, The Cochrane Collaboration, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mavergames
authors.affiliation: National Trauma Research Institute, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia ; Department of Surgery, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Russell L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Gruen
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000639:trends*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D013997:Time Factors; D057188:Workflow