What is a Systematic Review?
A systematic review is a comprehensive literature search, appraisal, and synthesis project that aims to answer a well-defined, specific, research question using existing primary research. Explicit methods are used to minimize bias and produce more reliable findings to inform decision making. Protocols of systematic reviews and meta-analyses allow researchers to plan and document their review methods and they help minimize arbitrary decision making regarding eligibility criteria and data extraction.
Types of Reviews
To determine if a systematic review is the right type of review, view this diagram.
Learn more about the different types of literature reviews:
- Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health information and libraries journal, 26(2), 91–108. https://doi-org.proxy.uchicago.edu/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
- 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.proxy.uchicago.edu/10.1111/hir.12276
Learn more about different types of systematic reviews:
- Munn Z, Stern C, Aromataris E, Lockwood C, Jordan Z. What kind of systematic review should I conduct? A proposed typology and guidance for systematic reviewers in the medical and health sciences. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2018;18(1):5. Published 2018 Jan 10. doi:10.1186/s12874-017-0468-4
Suggested Reading
Higgins JPT, Lasserson T, Chandler J, Tovey D, Thomas J, Flemyng E, Churchill R. Methodological Expectations of Cochrane Intervention Reviews. Cochrane: London, Version February 2022.
Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 6.4 (updated August 2023). Cochrane, 2023.
Institute of Medicine. (2011). Finding What Works in Health Care: Standards for Systematic Reviews. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. (2020). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews.
Umscheid, C. A. (2013). A Primer on Performing Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 57(5), 725-734.
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