by Shannon Riffe
The Carnegie Mellon University Libraries is helping shape the future of research through new approaches to open scholarship, evidence synthesis, and responsible artificial intelligence.
Two newly released publications — the “Open at CMU Year in Review” and the “Evidence Synthesis Program Year in Review” — showcase how the Libraries is supporting researchers across every stage of the research lifecycle. Together, the reports highlight a growing ecosystem of services, partnerships, and expertise that make research more transparent, reproducible, collaborative, and accessible.
Supporting research from discovery to dissemination
The “Open at CMU Year in Review” highlights the Libraries' expanding efforts to help researchers share knowledge more openly and effectively.
During the past year, the Libraries’ Open at CMU program:
- Supported publication of 553 open access journal articles through publisher agreements and an article processing charge fund.
- Published 179 graduate theses and dissertations through KiltHub, the university's institutional repository.
- Convened researchers, librarians, and practitioners from more than 200 institutions across 20 countries through workshops, hackathons, and community events focused on open research.
The report also highlights new collaborations with partners including NVIDIA, Amazon Web Services, the United Nations, and CMU's AI Science Foundry, demonstrating how the Libraries is helping build an open research ecosystem that extends well beyond campus.
Strengthening research through evidence synthesis
The “Evidence Synthesis Program Year in Review” demonstrates how librarians are contributing methodological expertise that helps researchers identify, evaluate, and synthesize evidence across disciplines.
Originally established as a consultation service, the Evidence Synthesis Program has evolved into a comprehensive research partnership supporting faculty, students, and collaborators through consultation, instruction, original research, and capacity building.
Highlights from the last year include:
- 39 evidence synthesis consultations
- 12 collaborative research partnerships
- Two new credit-bearing courses integrating evidence synthesis, open science, and AI literacy
- Three peer-reviewed methodological papers published
The program is also exploring how generative AI can responsibly support evidence synthesis workflows, while emphasizing transparency, reproducibility, and critical evaluation of emerging technologies.
Building the research infrastructure of the future
Although each report focuses on a distinct area of expertise, together they illustrate the Libraries' broader role as a partner in research innovation – helping researchers navigate evolving scholarly practices while strengthening the impact of Carnegie Mellon research.
As research continues to become more collaborative, data-intensive, and interdisciplinary, these programs position Carnegie Mellon University Libraries as a leader in developing the tools, infrastructure, and expertise researchers need to accelerate discovery.
Explore the reports
- Open at CMU Year in Review 2025–2026 Digital Flipbook | PDF
- Evidence Synthesis Program Year in Review 2025–2026 Digital Flipbook | PDF