Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Methodology for Conducting Systematic Reviews for the Evidence Analysis Library.

E VIDENCE-BASED NUTRITION practice guidelines generated from systematic reviews are imperative for registered dietitian nutritionists to provide safe and effective care. These guidelines are the foundation on which practitioners base their patient care, third party payers compensate care, and public policymakers set standards for general care. Systematic reviews are at the core of evidence-based guidelines and are a “rigorous and transparent approach of synthesizing scientific evidence that minimizes bias.” The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy) has a commitment to evidence-based research that was fully realized in 2004 when the Evidence Analysis Library (EAL) (www. andeal.org) was launched. The EAL is a series of systematic reviews and nutrition practice guidelines for registered dietitian nutritionists and other members of health care teams. Meticulous methods are rigorously followed to ensure objectivity, transparency, and reproducibility of the process. The objective of this article is to describe the current methodology of the Academy’s systematic review process for the EAL.