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So, You Want to Do a Systematic Review?
Use this decision tree to determine if a different review type, such as a narrative or scoping review, is right for you!
A systematic review is a rigorous research method that aims to synthesize empirical evidence to answer a specific clinical question. The thorough search process and detailed analysis takes approximately 1.5 years. A team of at least three researchers must gather all relevant studies, assess their quality, and synthesize the findings. The key steps are to:
- Formulate an a Priori Research Question
- Develop and Publish a Protocol
- Create a detailed plan for the review! Include search strategies, criteria for inclusion and exclusion, and methods for data extraction.
- Conduct a Comprehensive Searching for Relevant Studies
- Make every effort to find all relevant research in databases, journals, and grey literature via search strings, pursuing tables of contents, discipline-specific organizations, and cited citation searching.
- Screen and Select Studies
- Apply inclusion and exclusion criteria to select studies that align with the research question.
- Assessing Study Quality
- Critically appraise the included studies for reliability and potential bias.
- Extracting Data
- Collect the relevant data from each study.
- Synthesizing Evidence
- Impartially analyze and combine findings from different studies to draw meaningful conclusions.
- Writing and Publishing a Report
- Develop a well-structured article with a detailed methods section to ensure its reproducibility.
The objective is to minimize bias and provide a comprehensive overview of existing evidence while creating a replicable study. For additional guidance, please refer to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews.
Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (editors). 2023. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, version 6.4.