A findings archive is a tool for supporting research synthesis. It involves standardized descriptions of research findings, both distributional findings and correlational findings. These descriptions serve as a preliminary step in research synthesis, for narrative reviews as well as for quantitative meta-analyses.

A findings-archive facilitates research synthesis in the following ways:

1. Continuous gathering research findings on a subject.
2. Comparable description of these findings on electronic ‘finding pages’ using a standard format and terminology.
3. Ordering of these findings by subject, research methods and populations.
4. Presentation of the findings in review papers using links to findings pages on which readers find full detail.

The technique of a findings archive was developed for the synthesis of research on happiness. The method can also be used for other subjects. In the document FindingsArchive-StartNew2024 I describe how the software of the World Database of Happiness can be adjusted to other topics.