Systematic Reviews Consultation
Interested in consulting with a USC Librarian regarding your systematic review? Fill out our online consultation request form or contact jadewinn@usc.edu
What is a Systematic Review
A systematic review is a research method that attempts to identify, appraise and synthesize all the empirical evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a specific research question. Researchers conducting systematic reviews use explicit, systematic methods that are selected with a view aimed at minimizing bias, to produce more reliable findings to inform decision making.
Systematic reviews should be conducted by a team of researchers, at least one of whom has significant knowledge of research conducted in the subject, and cannot be done alone. Systematic reviews follow the established standards and methodologies for conducting and reporting systematic reviews.
- What is a Systematic Review?Cochrane Collaboration definitions for systematic review, meta-analysis, and protocol.
Defining Reviews
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Systematic Review |
Literature Review |
Scoping Review |
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Definition |
High-level overview of primary research on a focused question that identifies, selects, synthesizes, and appraises all high quality research evidence relevant to that question. |
Qualitatively summarizes evidence on a topic using informal or subjective methods to collect and interpret studies |
A type of research synthesis that aims to ‘map the literature on a particular topic or research area and provide an opportunity to identify key concepts; gaps in the research; and types and sources of evidence to inform practice, policymaking, and research |
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Goals |
Answer a focused clinical question. Eliminate bias.. |
Provide summary or overview of topic |
Aims to identify the nature and extent of research on chosen topic. |
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Question |
Clearly defined and answerable clinical question. Recommend using PICO as a guide. |
Can be a general topic or a specific question |
Answers broader and topic focused questions beyond those related to the effectiveness of treatments or interventions. |
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Components |
Pre-specified eligibility criteria |
Introduction |
Abstract |
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Number of Authors |
Three or more |
One or more |
Three or more (may require larger teams because of the larger volume of literature) |
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Timeline |
Months to years |
Weeks to months |
12+ months |
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Requirements |
Thorough knowledge of topic |
Understanding of topic |
Thorough knowledge of topic |
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Value |
Connects practicing clinicians to high quality evidence |
Provides summary of literature on a topic |
Preliminary assessment of the size and scope of a potential research topic. |
Is a Systematic Review Right for You?
Not all questions are appropriate for a systematic review. Depending on your question, another type of review, such as a scoping review or literature review, may be more appropriate.
A systematic review research question should be a well-formulated clearly defined clinical question, commonly in PICO format.
- Asking Focused QuestionsPICO guide from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM).
- A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies.Grant MJ, Booth A. Health Information and Libraries Journal. 2009;26:91-108. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x