• A systematic review is a secondary research as it requires a careful analysis of the quality, quantity, and consistency of research findings. • Systematic reviews formulate research questions that are specifically targeted and designed to provide a complete summary of the issue based on evidence. • The methodology used in systematic reviews is specific and precise, which intends to minimize bias by increasing the reliability of the drawn conclusion. Full information: https://bit.ly/2ZNTlPU Reference: https://pubrica.com/services/research-services/systematic-review/ Why pubrica? When you order our services, we promise you the following – Plagiarism free, always on Time, outstanding customer support, written to Standard, Unlimited Revisions support and High-quality Subject Matter Experts. Contact us : Web: https://pubrica.com/ Blog: https://pubrica.com/academy/ Email: sales@pubrica.com WhatsApp : +91 9884350006 United Kingdom: +44-1618186353

1. Copyright © 2020 pubrica. All rights reserved 1
What is a Systematic Review
Dr. Nancy Agens, Head,
Technical Operations, Pubrica
sales@pubrica.com
In Brief
A systematic review is a secondary
research as it requires a careful analysis
of the quality, quantity, and consistency
of research findings. Systematic reviews
formulate research questions that are
specifically targeted and designed to
provide a complete summary of the issue
based on evidence. The methodology used
in systematic reviews is specific and
precise, which intends to minimize bias by
increasing the reliability of the drawn
conclusion.
I. INTRODUCTION
A systematic review is a process of
identifying comprehensive studies for a
research specific question through
evaluating the methods of the study,
summarizing the results, presenting key
findings, identifying reasons for produced
results across the study and mentioning
limitations with current knowledge. A
systematic review is the most reliable
source of evidence for clinical practices as
it delivers thorough summary of primary
research in response to the defined
research question and it is also known as
secondary research because of the nature
and use of existing research study. Though
systematic review can be performed on all
primary research, they are often used for
guideline development, and the findings
are applied mainly within the healthcare
systems. In a systematic review, the
compiled information tends to be explicit
and more transparent using reproducible
methods. Further, it expresses a precise
aim through rigorous search with
predetermined eligibility criteria for
studies, an assessment of the validity of
the findings, a systematic presentation and
synthesis of the included primary research
studies. The methodology used in
systematic reviews is specific and precise,
which intends to minimize bias by
increasing the reliability of the drawn
conclusion. The produced results of a
systematic review can be summarized
either in text or graphic form, and it
depends upon the nature of the primary
data.
As like primary research studies, there are
reporting standards designed for
systematic reviews as well. The PRISMA
(Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic
reviews and Meta-Analyses), provides a
set of regulations on how to report a
systematic review. Likewise, for selecting
a secondary research question, there are
designated formats. A systematic review
question typically focused research
question with narrow parameters and
usually fitted into the PICO question
format. One such example is "In people
with multiple sclerosis, what is the extent
to which a walking intervention, compared
to no intervention, improves self-report
fatigue?". Based on the specific guidelines,
the primary two organization which
administer the conducting of a systematic
review are the Campbell Collaboration and
the Cochrane Collaboration. While the
Cochrane Collaboration focuses on the
health sciences subject area, the Campbell
collaboration works on other areas such as
crime and justice, international
development, education and social welfare.
In addition to these organizations, the
individual research team can work on
systematic review in attempting to answer
a research question.

2. Copyright © 2020 pubrica. All rights reserved 2
II. WHAT MAKES AN EXCELLENT
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW?
A good systematic review will include,
 A focused question
 Inclusion/exclusion criteria
 Search strategy
 Study selection
 Assess the quality of studies
 Synthesize study results
 Analysis and limitations
A focused question - a systematic review
is a research method used to address a
specific research question and formulating
a well-constructed research question is
essential for a successful review.
Inclusion/exclusion criteria – It studies
the writers included or excluded and the
reason. For instance, the most reliable
method for conducting a review through
randomized studies whereas for including
or excluding studies, the author needs a
logical reason.
Search strategy – The reviewer must
explain the methods used for finding
relevant studies which include published
and unpublished clinical trial reports,
online database search, as well as
approaching experts in finding
unpublished data.
Study selection – Need to identify suitable
study criteria and collect relevant data for
conducting a systematic review.
Assess the quality of studies – It helps in
identifying the risk of bias in secondary
research
Synthesize study results - Upon similarity
on the included data, the author must
determine the effectiveness of an
intervention using meta-analysis. Whereas
the study is not much similar, the author
can provide a narrative analysis by
describing the initial results.
Analysis and limitations – The review
should discuss the addressed area of study,
the findings, and how the review results
change the existing limitations.
Different types of reviews:
There are many types of reviews
addressing questions of effectiveness,
questions about the prevalence of
diagnostic accuracy, and prognosis.
Different types of reviews include,
 Literature Review
 Meta-analysis
 Rapid review
 Scoping review
 Systematic review
 Systematized review
 Umbrella review
III. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SYSTEMATIC AND LITERATURE REVIEWS
Key section Systematic review Literature review
Question Mainly focused on one
question
It describes an overview and
not based on a single
question
Protocol It follows peer review
protocol or plan
It has no protocol
Background Both the review presents the summaries of the available
literature on a topic
Objectives Study-specific objectives are
identified
No such objectives will be
identified
Inclusion and exclusion
criteria
There are specific criteria to
be stated before the review
is conducted
Not mandatorily specified
Search strategy A systematic search will be The search strategy will not

3. Copyright © 2020 pubrica. All rights reserved 3
conducted be mentioned
Process of selecting articles Clear and explicit Not described
Process of evaluating
articles
A comprehensive evaluation
of the study as it mainly
used in formulating
guidelines
Evaluation of study quality
may not be included
Process of extracting
relevant information
Research question specific
information extraction
Extracting relevant
information is not specific to
a single question
Results and data synthesis Clear summaries of studies
will be provided based on
evidence
Overview based on reviews
where the quality of articles
may not be specified.
Discussion An expert or group of professionals write them with a well-
grounded knowledge of the issues.
Reproduced from: Learning how to undertake a systematic review: part 1 DOI:
10.7748/ns2010.08.24.50.47.c7939
In summary, a systematic review is a
search of all sources of evidence for
relevant studies or on research question
specific study. Predetermined reproducible
criteria to screen for eligibility and
relevance assessment of titles and the
abstracts will be followed. Each study will
then be assessed in terms of
methodological quality, and finally, the
evidence is synthesized.
REFERENCE
1. Bettany-Saltikov, J & Fernandes, T 2010, 'Learning
how to undertake a systematic review: Part
1', Nursing Standard (through 2013), vol. 24, no.
50, pp. 47-55
2. https://www.spi.ox.ac.uk/what-makes-a-good-
systematic-review
3. The Systematic Review: An Overview American
Journal of Nursing: March 2014 - Volume 114 -
Issue 3 - p 53-58. DOI:
10.1097/01.NAJ.0000444496.24228.2c
4. WilsonV. (2013). Research Methods: Systematic
Reviews. Evidence-Based Library and Information
Practice, 8(3), 83-84.
https://doi.org/10.18438/B8CP5Z
5. What is a systematic review? Jane Clarke Evid
Based Nurs 2011 14: 64
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ebn.2011.0049
6. https://libraryguides.mcgill.ca/knowledge-
syntheses/question