In this guide, you'll find:"A systematic review (SR) attempts to collate all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question. It uses explicit, systematic methods that are selected with a view to minimizing bias, thus providing more reliable findings from which conclusions can be drawn and decisions made.
Key characteristics of a systematic review are:
Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 6.5 (updated August 2024). Cochrane, 2024. https://training.cochrane.org/handbook
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Systematic reviews have a rigorous and clear process to identify, critically appraise, and distill information from individual studies to provide recommendations to inform future practice
Systematic reviews aim to answer a well-defined question, which helps readers identify if the content is applicable to their situation or context
Clear guidance exists for the conduct and reporting of systematic reviews, which facilitates the review process, decreases bias, and increases research transparency and reproducibility
Narrow focus of systematic reviews may not capture a comprehensive overview of a topic (narrative or scoping reviews may be better approaches)
Systematic reviews do not answer questions about how/why an intervention does or does not work (realist reviews may be a better approach)
Systematic reviews include primary studies and do not cover emerging topics published as commentaries or perspectives articles
Systematic review require a significant body of evidence about a topic in order to be conducted
Systematic reviews are a major undertaking that are resource and time intensive (i.e., 6 months to 2 years to conduct)
Aromataris E, Munn Z, eds. JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. JBI, 2020. Available from https://synthesismanual.jbi.global. https://doi.org/10.46658/JBIMES-20-01
Gordon M, Gibbs T. STORIES statement: publication standards for healthcare education evidence synthesis. BMC medicine. 2014 Dec 1;12(1):143.
Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 6.1 Cochrane, 2020. Available from www.training.cochrane.org/handbook.
Page MJ, Moher D, Bossuyt PM, et al. PRISMA 2020 explanation and elaboration: updated guidance and exemplars for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021 29;372.
Gordon M, Grafton-Clarke C, Hill E, Gurbutt D, Patricio M, Daniel M. Twelve tips for undertaking a focused systematic review in medical education. Med Teach. 2019;41(11):1232-1238.
