What is a Systematic Review?
Systematic reviews are a rigorous means of summarizing a large amount of evidence from the medical literature.
A systematic review involves several strategies that distinguish it from a regular review article. According to Cook, et al. (source), these strategies are included to limit bias in the collection, appraisal, and synthesis of relevant studies. Meta-analyses take the review process one step further by gathering data from primary articles and performing statistical procedures to summarize and synthesize the evidence (source).
Systematic reviews and their subset, meta-analysis, are an important source of information in decision-making.
What is a Scoping Review?
Scoping reviews are often conducted as precursors to systematic reviews. The research questions are typically more broad for a scoping review, and the searches are less targeted in order to do a survey of the breadth of literature on a topic.
For more information, see the links below:
What is a Meta-Analysis?
"A "meta-analysis" is a statistical approach to combine the data derived from a systematic-review. Therefore, every meta-analysis should be based on an underlying systematic review, but not every systematic review leads to a meta-analysis." (Source)
Systematic Reviews & Meta Analyses: Online Readings
- Cochrane Collaboration - An Introduction to Systematic ReviewsSystematic Reviews and Meta Analysis
- How to read a paper: Papers that summarise other papers (systematic reviews and meta-analyses)Trisha Greenhalgh, BMJ 315: 7109, p. 672 (Published 13 September 1997)
- The PRISMA statementPRISMA focuses on ways in which authors can ensure the transparent and complete reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
- Carlisle, J. B. 2007. Systematic reviews: how they work and how to use them. Anaesthesia 62(7):702–70
- Farquhar, C., Vail, A. 2006. Pitfalls in systematic reviews. Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology. 18(4):433-9
- Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Undertaking Systematic Reviews of Research on Effectiveness. CRD's Guidance for those Carrying Out or Commissioning Reviews. CRD Report Number 4 (2nd ed). 2001
Books on Systematic Reviews
More Resources in the Library
Systematic Review Writing & Research Guides
- University of Sheffield School for Health and Related Research (ScHARR) (pdf)
- Systematic Reviews: CRD’s guidance for undertaking reviews in health care
- Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
- A Short Course on Systematic Reviews for Informing Health System Policy (pdf)Raina, P., A Short Course on Systematic Reviews for Informing Health System Policy, Malaysia, 2007. (McMaster University, HIRU)
Related Topic: Evidence Based Medicine
Books for EBM:
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