The age of abundant scholarly information and its synthesis– A time when ‘just google it’ is no longer enough

Academic research has changed in recent years. It has entered the age of abundant scholarly information. New scientometric data shows impressive increases in both the quantity and quality of information researchers produce. Since 2007 about the same number of publications have become accessible on databases as more than the hundred years prior. At the same time, evidence synthesis has become key in making this wealth of information understandable and useful. Researchers need to be increasingly proficient in identifying relevant information – to be able to build on an increasingly comprehensive research base and to adhere to rising standards in evidence synthesis. Both these requirements make a ‘true partnership between librarians and researchers’ in demand like never before.