Native, freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) are a highly imperiled faunal group in North America. However, unionids are often under-surveyed, particularly in remote regions, which can hinder conservation efforts. For example, National Forests in the Great Lakes Basin represent about 5% of the land base but to date little is known about unionids on these lands. Furthermore, survey protocols for unionids are highly variable and little guidance exists for deciding which protocol to use. To facilitate decision-making that benefits unionids on National Forest land, we are developing a standardized survey protocol for the National Forests in the Great Lakes basin to assess unionid assemblages and health. This protocol will also serve to provide data that relates to a broader Great Lakes basin conservation strategy that includes other federal, state, and tribal efforts. To guide development of this protocol, we are synthesizing a review of unionid survey protocols used throughout North America by academia, federal agencies, state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and industry. We categorized protocols by methodology (i.e., time-search, transect, quadrat, or a mix) and regional basin. We also noted project objectives, site selection methods, survey results, and river size. We will use the results of this comprehensive literature review to create a decision tree of how existing survey protocols have been previously selected based on region, unionid abundance, river size, and project goals. Our synthesis currently includes >150 papers. Presently, our literature synthesis has revealed that time-search surveys are the most common survey type due to their ease of implementation and ability to cover large areas; however, person-hour effort is widely variable among studies. Transect, quadrat, and mixed survey types are relatively equally represented in the literature. Our project aims to facilitate the collection of comparable baseline unionid assemblage data by providing standardized guidelines and tools for both survey site selection and collecting and archiving detection data. This standardization will increase knowledge-sharing among partners and agencies in ways that support monitoring, protecting, and restoring native freshwater mussels, particularly within the Great Lakes region.