What are systematic reviews and what purpose do they serve?
The purpose of a systematic review is to deliver a meticulous summary of all the available primary research in response to a research question. A systematic review uses all the existing research and is sometime called ‘secondary research’ (research on research).
What is the aim of a systematic review?
Systematic reviews aim to identify, evaluate, and summarize the findings of all relevant individual studies over a health-related issue, thereby making the available evidence more accessible to decision makers.
How do you know if something is a systematic review?
“A systematic review attempts to identify, appraise and synthesize all the empirical evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a given research question. Systematic reviews are also a type of journal article, published alongside primary research articles in scholarly journals.
When would you use a systematic review?
Its aim is to identify and synthesize all of the scholarly research on a particular topic, including both published and unpublished studies. Systematic reviews are conducted in an unbiased, reproducible way to provide evidence for practice and policy-making and identify gaps in research.
How many studies do you need for a systematic review?
For systematic reviews, it does not matter how many studies are included. For example: in Cochrane library there are empty reviews (zero studies included). Meta-analysis is usually based on systematic review, the same estimations apply but you can pool any outcome if it was reported TWICE at least.
What is the first stage of a systematic review?
Searching for relevant data sources. Planning how the review will search for relevant data from research that matches certain criteria is a decisive stage in developing a rigorous systematic review. Relevant criteria can include only selecting research that is good quality and answers the defined question.
What is the difference between traditional and systematic RRL?
Traditional reviews provide a broad overview of a research topic with no clear methodological approach(2). Systematic reviews are overviews of the literature undertaken by identifying, critically appraising and synthesising results of primary research studies using an explicit, methodological approach(3).
What is the difference between Cochrane review and systematic review?
A Cochrane review is prepared and maintained using specific methodologies described in the Cochrane Handbook. Systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials provide the clearest evidence for the benefits of a healthcare intervention.