Assemble a Research Team
A systematic review team should include:
- A minimum of three reviewers to reduce bias (SRs cannot be done alone)
- third reviewer helps to reach consensus
- more reviewers will accelerate the screening process
- Content experts who have expertise in the subject area and current research being done in his subject
- Experts in SR methodology, with knowledge in reducing risk of bias, study design, data collection, management & analysis, and statistical analysis
- Librarian for database searching, citation management, search methodology, and search documentation
- Statistician if including a meta-analysis
Does a systematic review already exist?
If a SR already exists or is in-progress, another systematic review may be duplicative and difficult to get published. Search the sources below for published SRs or protocols of in-progress reviews. Depending on your research question, you may want to search additional databases as well.
- PROSPEROPROSPERO is an international database of prospectively registered systematic review protocols in health and social care.
- Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window Collection of databases aimed at gathering and summarizing health research.
- PubMed@USC This link opens in a new window PubMed provides access to millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. This version is customized for USC users to find the full-text of articles.
- Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database This link opens in a new window Evidence-based practice database with a global focus. Find systematic reviews, protocols, recommended practices, evidence summaries, best practice and consumer information sheets, and technical Reports.
- Campbell Collaboration Online Library This link opens in a new window Systematic reviews, plain language summaries, and planned reviews in crime and justice, disability, education, international development, knowledge translation and implementation, nutrition, and social welfare.
Set a Realistic Timeline
Conducting a SR takes time - anywhere from 6 to 12 months!
An analysis of time spent showed that it took on average 1,139 hours to conduct a SR.
- 588 hours - protocol development, searching and retrieval
- 144 hours - statistical analysis
- 206 hours - report writing
- 201 hours - administration
Cochrane provides an example of a timeline for a 12 month review:
Sources:
Choose Software & Tools
Recommended:
- CovidenceCovidence is online screening and data extraction tool for conducting systematic reviews. Get access by submitting an invitation via the link above. Contact the Norris Medical Library for more information.
- Covidence HelpCovidence help includes live webinars, webinar recordings, short videos, and other guidance for using Covidence for conducting systematic reviews.
- EndNote GuideUSC faculty, students, and staff have free access to EndNote Online. EndNote software is available from the USC Book Store at a discount. Both can be used for citation management, but we recommend EndNote Software for systematic reviews.
- Systematic Review ToolboxThis website is a searchable catalog of tools to support the entire systematic review process. Users can search by keyword, features, discipline, approach, and cost. Content is community-driven, but is edited by a team of researchers at the University of York.
More recommended tools are listed on appropriate pages throughout this guide.