Systematic Reviews

A systematic review answers a well-defined research question, typically on an intervention, by collecting and summarizing all available evidence. Systematic reviews aim to minimize bias by using systematic, rigorous methods. Systematic reviews are a key component of evidence-based medicine.

Standards, Guidelines, and Publications on SR Methodology

• Campbell Collaboration Systematic Reviews (Campbell Collaboration)
• Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Cochrane Collaboration)
• Methodological Expectations for Cochrane Intervention Reviews (Cochrane Collaboration)
• JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis (JBI)
• Systematic Reviews (Centre for Reviews and Dissemination)
• Standards for Systematic Reviews (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) - alternative link in NCBI
  
• Evidence-based Reports on Methodology (AHRQ)

• a well-defined research question
• a team with expertise and experience in the subject matter and/or the systematic review process
• a protocol to describe the context and rationale for the review, strategies for screening and data collection, the approach to critical appraisal, and a timetable
• inclusion and exclusion criteria
• a few key articles that you consider relevant to the topic (these will help formulate the formal literature search)
• a framework for critical appraisal of the evidence
• time - systematic reviews take more time than the average review - according to some sources, an average of 67.3 weeks (Borah R, et. al.)

See the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Standards for Systematic Reviews for more information on the systematic review process.

A librarian can help you plan, execute, and document the search strategy, remove duplicate results from the final set, and place the results in a citation manager like RefWorks or EndNote. Librarians can also suggest title/abstract review strategies and software to help you and your team through the screening process. Finally, librarians may assist with fulfilling the reporting items for systematic reviews, aid in the writing of the search methodology, and perform updates of former searches when needed.

All searches will need to be documented, including details such as what search terms were used, which databases on which platforms were searched, what dates the searches were run, the number of results, and and the number and method of deduplication. PRISMA-S recommends including all the searches in an appendix or supplemental file. It is highly recommended that you invite an information specialist or librarian to your authorship team.

• The PRISMA Statement was published in 2009 and contains a checklist and a diagram for reporting your review
  
• The PRISMA Checklist is a 27-item checklist regarding the content of a systematic review and what items or processes should be documented and reported
  
• The PRISMA Flow Diagram depicts the flow of information through the stages of a systematic review
• The PRISMA-P is a PRISMA extension for systematic review protocols
• The PRISMA-S is a PRISMA extension for reporting the search
  

An Overview of Review Types

• Akl, E.A., Haddaway, N., Rada, G., & Lotfi, T. (2020). Evidence synthesis 2.0: when systematic, scoping, rapid, living, and overviews of reviews come together? Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, online. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.01.025

• Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91-108.

• Munn, Z., Stern, C., Aromataris, E., Lockwood, C., & Jordan, Z. (2018). What kind of systematic review should I conduct? A proposed typology and guidance for systematic reviewers in the medical and health sciences. BMC medical research methodology, 18(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-017-0468-4

• Peters, M., Marnie, C., Tricco, A. C., Pollock, D., Munn, Z., Alexander, L., McInerney, P., Godfrey, C. M., & Khalil, H. (2021). Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews. JBI Evidence Implementation, 19(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1097/XEB.0000000000000277
• Sutton, A., Clowes, M., Preston, L., & Booth, A. (2019). Meeting the review family: exploring review types and associated information retrieval requirements. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 36(3), 202–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12276

Integrative Reviews

• Torraco, R. J. (2005). Writing integrative literature reviews: Guidelines and examples. Human resource development review, 4(3), 356-367.

Scoping Reviews

• Arksey, H., & O'Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. International journal of social research methodology, 8(1), 19-32.

• Munn, Z., Peters, M., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC medical research methodology, 18(1), 143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x
  

• Pham, M. T., Rajić, A., Greig, J. D., Sargeant, J. M., Papadopoulos, A., & McEwen, S. A. (2014). A scoping review of scoping reviews: advancing the approach and enhancing the consistency. Research synthesis methods, 5(4), 371-385.

Rapid Reviews

• Khangura, S., Konnyu, K., Cushman, R., Grimshaw, J., & Moher, D. (2012). Evidence summaries: the evolution of a rapid review approach. Systematic reviews, 1(1), 10.

Realist Reviews

• Pawson, R., Greenhalgh, T., Harvey, G., & Walshe, K. (2005). Realist review: a new method of systematic review designed for complex policy interventions. Journal of health services research & policy, 10(1_suppl), 21-34.

Umbrella Reviews

• Aromataris, E., Fernandez, R., Godfrey, C. M., Holly, C., Khalil, H., & Tungpunkom, P. (2015). Summarizing systematic reviews: methodological development, conduct and reporting of an umbrella review approach. International journal of evidence-based healthcare, 13(3), 132-140.

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