Systematic Reviews

"A systematic review attempts to collate all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question" (Lasserson, Thomas, & Higgins, 2024). 

The key characteristics of a systematic review are:

• a clearly defined question with inclusion and exclusion criteria;
• a rigorous and systematic search of the literature;
• two phases of screening (blinded, at least two independent screeners);
• data extraction and management;
• analysis and interpretation of results;
• risk of bias assessment of included studies;
• and report for publication.

Lasserson TJ, Thomas J, Higgins JPT. Chapter 1: Starting a review [last updated August 2021]. In: 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. Cochrane, 2024. Available from www.training.cochrane.org/handbook. 

Planning for your Systematic Review

• Do you have the time needed to conduct a review?
  • Typical time frame for a systematic review: 9-12 months
• Do you have a team to work with you on the review?
  • At least 3 people are recommended
• Are there enough research articles written on the topic to do a systematic review? Is your question too broad or narrow? 
• Does a similar review or protocol exist already?
  • Check to see if a systematic review has already been done on the topic.
  • Tip: Ask one of our medical librarians for help with this!

To request a consultation about a systematic review, please fill out our Meet with a Librarian form.

Consultations can be done in person or over Teams. Please consider doing a quick search on your topic and including articles that are relevant to your search.