What is a systematic review?
A systematic review is a type of literature review that follows certain standards and guidelines. The review involves a rigorous, well documented, transparent, and reproducible search and selection process, where researchers are attempting to gather and synthesize all evidence that answers a specific clinical question.
What is required?
- A team: A systematic review cannot be completed by 1 person.
- Time: Systematic reviews typically take 12 to 18 months to complete (see sample timeline below). Use PredicTER to estimate the amount of time needed.
- A clear question: Systematic reviews are geared to answer clearly defined clinical questions.
- Comprehensive Literature Searches: With a systematic review you are attempting to find and synthesize all relevant information with a reproducible search.
Where do I start?
- Explore the various standards & guidelines of systematic reviews.
- Examine other review types to determine the best option for your project.
