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AGuidetoConductingSystematicReviews:GettingStarted SearchthisGuide Search

Home GettingStarted StepsinaSystematicReview MethodologyandDocumentation Searchingthepublishedliterature SearchingtheGrayLiterature

Managingtheprocess Findingandappraisingsystematicreviews

Howthelibrarycanhelp WhatisaSystematicReview?

TheInstituteofMedicine Asystematicreviewisamethodicalandcomprehensiveliteraturesynthesisfocusedonawellformulatedresearch
recommendsthatalibrariansor question.Itsaimistoidentifyandsynthesizeallofthescholarlyresearchonaparticulartopic,includingbothpublished
informationspecialistbeinvolvedin andunpublishedstudies.Systematicreviewsareconductedinanunbiased,reproduciblewaytoprovideevidencefor
thesystematicreviewprocess.In practiceandpolicymakingandidentifygapsinresearch.Theymayinvolveametaanalysis.
fact,astudyshowsthatlibrarian
Systematicreviewsaremuchmoretimeintensivethantraditionalliteraturereviews.Theyusuallyrequireamultiperson
involvementinsystematicreviews
researchteam.Beforeembarkingonasystematicreview,itisimportanttodeterminewhetherthebodyofliterature
improvesboththequalityandthe
warrantsoneandtoclearlyidentifyyourreasonsforconductingasystematicreview.Foralistofothertypesofliterature
reproducibilityoftheliterature
reviews,seethispage.
search(seeRethlefsenetal2015).
Howdoesasystematicreviewdifferfromatraditionalliteraturereview?
LibrariansatCornellUniversity
Librarycanhelpyou:

Identifyrelevant
databasesinwhichto
conductliteraturesearches
relatedtoyourtopic.
Designandimplement
complex,comprehensive
searchstrategiesto
maximizeretrievalof
relevantstudies.
Usereference
managementsoftware,
suchasEndnoteandother
toolstomanagethestudy
gatheringandselection
process.
Createsearchalertsto
ensurethatnewstudiesare
foundwhilethesystematic
reviewisinprogress.
Findexistingsystematic
reviewsandprotocolsto

informyourownprotocol
development.
Trackdownhardtofind
fulltextarticlesfor
screeningandreview.
Writethemethodssection
ofyourreviewfor
publication,toensureclarity
andtransparencyofthe
searchprocess.

Formoreinformationaboutthis
serviceandtosubmitahelp
request,pleasevisit
www.library.cornell.edu/services/systematic
review
 Othertypesofliteraturereviewsandevidencesynthesis

Evidencemapsandsystematicmaps

Systematicallyandtransparentlycollectsandcategorizesexistingevidenceonabroadquestionofpolicyormanagement
importance.
Maycriticallyevaluateexistingevidence,butdoesnotattempttosynthesizetheresultsinthewayasystematicreviewwould.(seeEE
JournalandCIFOR)

Literature(Narrative)Review

Abroadtermreferringtoreviewswithawidescopeandnonstandardizedmethodology.
Searchstrategies,comprehensiveness,andtimerangecoveredwillvaryanddonotfollowanestablishedprotocol.

Metaanalysis

Statisticaltechniqueforcombiningthefindingsfromdisparatequantitativestudies.
Usesstatisticalmethodstoobjectivelyevaluate,synthesize,andsummarizeresults.
Maybeconductedindependentlyoraspartofasystematicreview.

RapidReview

AppliesSystematicReviewmethodologywithinatimeconstrainedsetting.
Usefulforaddressingissuesneedingquickdecisions.
SeeEvidenceSummaries:TheEvolutionofaRapidReviewApproach

ScopingReview

Addressesabroaderresearchquestionorsetofquestions
Oftenconductedinpreparationforconductingasystematicreview
Seekstoidentifyresearchgapsandopportunitiesforevidencesynthesis
SeeArkseyandO'Malley(2005)formethodologicalguidance.

UmbrellaReview

Reviewsothersystematicreviewsonatopic.
Oftendefinesabroaderquestionthanistypicalofatraditionalsystematicreview.
Thistypeofreviewismostusefulwhentherearecompetinginterventionstoconsider.

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