Systematic Review

A Structured Approach to Finding and Synthesizing Research

A systematic review uses a structured and transparent process to identify, evaluate, and synthesize relevant research studies addressing a focused question.

What Is a Systematic Review?

A systematic review is a research method that uses a predefined and systematic process to identify, select, evaluate, and synthesize studies relevant to a specific research question.

Key idea

Systematically finding, evaluating, and synthesizing the best available research evidence.

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Key Characteristics of a Systematic Review

Systematic reviews typically involve:

A focused research question — Clearly defining what the review seeks to investigate.
A structured search strategy — Searching relevant databases and other sources systematically.
Explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria — Establishing which studies will be considered.
Study screening and selection — Reviewing identified studies against the predefined criteria.
Quality or risk-of-bias assessment — Evaluating the credibility and limitations of included studies.
Data extraction — Collecting relevant information from the selected studies.
Evidence synthesis — Combining and interpreting findings across studies.
Transparent reporting — Clearly documenting the methods and results of the review.

Systematic Review Process

1. Define the Research Question

Develop a focused and clearly defined research question that determines the scope of the review.

2. Develop a Search Strategy

Identify appropriate databases, search terms, keywords, and other sources that will be used to find relevant research.

3. Search the Literature

Conduct the planned searches and collect potentially relevant studies.

4. Screen the Studies

Review titles, abstracts, and full texts to determine which studies meet the predefined eligibility criteria.

5. Assess Study Quality

Evaluate the methodological quality or risk of bias of the included studies using an appropriate assessment approach.

6. Extract the Data

Collect relevant information from the selected studies using a structured data-extraction process.

7. Synthesize the Evidence

Analyze and combine the findings from the included studies. Depending on the research question and available data, synthesis may be qualitative or quantitative.

8. Report the Findings

Present the methods, results, limitations, and conclusions of the review in a transparent and organized manner.

Types of Systematic Reviews

Systematic reviews can take different forms depending on the research question, evidence available, and purpose of the review.

Qualitative Systematic Review — Synthesizes findings using a qualitative approach.
Quantitative Systematic Review — Synthesizes numerical findings from multiple studies.
Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis — Uses statistical methods to combine results from multiple studies when appropriate.
Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies — Synthesizes findings from qualitative research.
Rapid Review — Uses systematic approaches while streamlining some review processes to produce evidence more quickly.
Scoping Review — Maps the available research on a broad topic and identifies major concepts, evidence types, and research gaps.

When Is a Systematic Review Useful?

A systematic review can be useful when researchers need to understand the existing evidence on a focused research question rather than relying on the findings of individual studies.

It can help researchers: