Levy Library Research Synthesis and Systematic Review Services: Systematic Reviews
So You Want to Do a Systematic Review?
- So You Want To Do a Systematic Review?A video introduction from the Levy Library on the methodology involved in conducting a systematic review.
Books on Systematic Reviews
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions by Call Number: E-BookISBN: 111953660XPublication Date: 2019-09-20The second edition of The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions contains essential guidance for preparing and maintaining Cochrane Reviews of the effects of health interventions.
How to Perform a Systematic Literature Review by Call Number: E-BookISBN: 3030496716Publication Date: 2020-08-05The systematic review is a rigorous method of collating and synthesizing evidence from multiple studies, producing a whole greater than the sum of parts. This textbook is an authoritative and accessible guide to an activity that is often found overwhelming. The authors steer readers on a logical, sequential path through the process, taking account of the different needs of researchers, students and practitioners.
- JBI Manual for Evidence SynthesisThe JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis provides guidance to authors for the conduct and preparation of JBI systematic reviews and evidence syntheses. The JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis has separate chapters devoted synthesis of different types of evidence and to address different types of review questions.
What Is a Systematic Review?
A systematic review is "a review that uses explicit, systematic methods to collate and synthesise findings of studies that address a clearly formulated question".1
Systematic reviews are useful for:
- confirming current practices
- guiding decision-making
- informing future research
Meta-analyses, while often part of systematic reviews, are not interchangeable with them. They use statistical analysis to combine data from the studies found in the systematic review process. These studies must be homogenous enough that the data from them can be pooled together.
Limitations of systematic reviews include:
- That since they are focused on a clearly formulated question, their conclusions only answer that particular question and cannot be generalized
- That the synthesis of materials is only as reliable as the primary studies the review analyzed
Sources:
- Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, Shamseer L, Tetzlaff JM, Akl EA, Brennan SE, Chou R. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021 Mar 29;372.
- Garg AX, Hackam D, Tonelli M. Systematic review and meta-analysis: when one study is just not enough. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2008 Jan 1;3(1):253-60.
PRISMA and Related Guidelines
PRISMA is a set of reporting guidelines that are used for systematic reviews. Increasingly, journals are highly recommending or requiring the use of the PRISMA checklist and/or flow diagram when submitting a systematic review or meta-analysis manuscript for potential publication. PRISMA also has extensions that can be useful for protocols, conference abstracts, and other types of reviews.
- PRISMA ChecklistA 27-item checklist addressing the introduction, methods, results and discussion sections of a systematic review report. Often highly recommended or required by journals when submitting a systematic review manuscript.
- PRISMA Flow DiagramA diagram that depicts the flow of information through the different phases of a systematic review. It maps out the number of records identified, included and excluded, and the reasons for exclusions. Often highly recommended or required by journals when submitting a systematic review manuscript.
- PRISMA-PA document intended to facilitate the development and reporting of systematic review protocols.
- PRISMA for AbstractsA 12-item checklist that gives authors a framework for condensing their systematic review into the essentials for a conference abstract.
- PRISMA-SA 16-item checklist for reporting systematic review searches.
- MOOSEA set of guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies (rather than randomized controlled trials).
Protocol Registration
- PROSPEROPROSPERO is the most well-known of the systematic review protocol registry sites, and allows users to browse through registered protocols as well.
Quality Assessment Resources
Systematic reviews include a risk of bias or quality assessment that evaluates the quality of evidence found from the studies remaining after the title and abstract and full-text screening process. There are several tools and resources that can help researchers with this step.
- GRADEA widely-used set of guidelines for grading quality of evidence and strength of recommendations.
- RoB 2One of the most popular risk of bias tools to evaluate randomized controlled trials.
- ROBINS-IA risk of bias tool for non-randomized studies of interventions.
- Newcastle-Ottawa ScaleAnother risk of bias tool for non-randomized studies.
Tutorials and Other Resources
- Introduction to GRADETraining on GRADE provided by Cochrane. Requires Mount Sinai affiliation.
- Systematic Reviews: What are they? Are they right for my research?Webinar from Taubman Health Sciences Library at University of Michigan.
- Pre-planning and protocol development for systematic reviewsWebinar from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) on pre-planning and protocol development for systematic reviews: pitfalls to avoid and tips for success.