Systematic Reviews and other evidence synthesis projects

This guide presents tools and advice for conducting Systematic Reviews and other evidence syntheses and comprehensive literature search projects:

• Review types
• Outline of the SR process
• Formulating an effective search strategy
• Selecting & searching databases
• Managing search results
• Reporting search methods
• How HSL librarians can help

A systematic review (SR) attempts to collate all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question.  It  uses explicit, systematic methods that are selected with a view to minimizing bias, thus providing more reliable findings from which conclusions can be drawn and decisions made. (The Cochrane Handbook)

Key characteristics of a systematic review are:

• a clearly defined topic, with pre-defined eligibility criteria for studies
• a systematic and reproducible search strategy
• a critical appraisal of included studies
• data extraction and processing
• analysis and interpretation of results

For more information see Guides for Conducting Systematic Reviews on the SR Process tab.