Research Guides: Systematic Literature Reviews: Home

What is a Systematic Literature Review?

A systematic review is a thorough compilation and analysis of all known evidence on a given subject. Systematic reviews are great sources of information about current best practices, results of clinical trials, and much more.

In order to be formally recognized by publishers and repositories, a systematic review must include the following elements:

A clearly defined research question and protocol
Evidence of a rigorous and systematic search process
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Data extraction and management
Critical appraisal and bias assessment of all included studies.
Analysis and interpretation of results
Report for publication

Ask your instructor if you're not sure what elements you need to include in your systematic review.

There are multiple kinds of systematic reviews to choose from, depending on the size of the team, the scope of the research question, and the type of methodology used.

Common Types of Systematic Reviews

Type	Description	Searching	Appraisal	Synthesis	Analysis
Literature Review	Generic term. Includes published materials that provide an examination of current literature. Can cover a wide range of subjects at various levels of completeness and comprehensiveness. May include research ﬁndings.	May or may not include comprehensive searching	May or may not include quality assessment	Typically narrative	Chronological, conceptual, thematic, etc.
Systematic Review	Seeks to systematically search for, appraise and synthesize research evidence, often adhering to guidelines on the conduct of a review.	Aims for exhaustive, comprehensive searching	Quality assessment may determine inclusion/exclusion	Typically narrative with tabular accompaniment	What is known, recommendations for practice, what remains unknown, uncertainty around findings, recommendations for future research
Meta-analysis	Technique that statistically combines the results of quantitative studies to provide a more precise effect of the results.	Aims for exhaustive searching. May use funnel plot to assess completeness.	Quality assessment may determine inclusion/exclusion and/or sensitivity analyses.	Graphical and tabular with narrative commentary	Numerical analysis of measures of effect assuming absence of heterogeneity
Scoping Review	Preliminary assessment of potential size and scope of available research literature. Aims to identify the nature and extent of research evidence (usually including ongoing research).	Completeness of searching determined by time/scope constraints. May include research in progress.	No formal quality assessment.	Typically tabular with some narrative commentary.	Characterizes quantity and quality of literature, perhaps by study design and other key features. Attempts to specify a viable review.

Adapted from 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. DOI: 10.1111/J.1471-1842.2009.00848.X

Systematic Review Process Overview

Systematic reviews can often take months to a full year to complete but the basic process involves:

Preparation
1. Select a team
2. Develop a research question
3. Select a type of systematic review that fits the question, size of the team, and amount of time available to do the work.
Searching for sources
1. Develop inclusion and exclusion criteria
2. Identify databases to search
3. Develop searches
4. Record searches
Extracting data
1. Quality/bias assessment
2. Remove duplicate results
Synthesize and analyze data
Report the team's findings

Image source: https://mcw.libguides.com/systematic-reviews/process

Getting Started with Systematic Reviews

Introduction to Systematic Reviews (Print Book) by David Gough, Sandy Oliver, and James Thomas (Editors)
Publication Date: 2017

Focused on actively using systematic review as method, this book provides clear, step-by-step advice on the logic and processes of systematic reviewing.
Doing a Systematic Review (Print Book) by Angela Boland, Rumona Dickson, and M. Gemma Cherry (Editors)
Publication Date: 2017

Written in a friendly, accessible style by an expert team of authors with years of experience in both conducting and supervising systematic reviews, this is the perfect guide to using systematic review methodology in a research project.
Systematic Reviews (Ebook) by Carole Torgerson
Publication Date: 2003

This book will describe a) the key steps to undertaking a systematic review and b) the process of undertaking a meta-analysis. The book will include step-by-step examples of how to design data extraction forms, search strategies and combine in a meta-analysis.
Systematic Reviews to Answer Health Care Questions (Ebook) by Heidi Nelson
Publication Date: 2014

Systematic Evidence Reviews to Answer Health Care Questions provides accessible, concise information about the state-of-the-art methods of systematic review, from key question formulation and selecting evidence to assessing the quality of included studies and reporting results. Key topics are organized around essential steps in conducting reviews as well as important issues or dilemmas encountered during the process. Although the state-of-the-art methods serve as core material, the book also presents different approaches that are sometimes needed when basic rules do not apply. Its perspective is practical and patient-centered.