Librarian for Systematic Reviews
800 E Kirkwood Ave
Bloomington, IN 47405
Librarian for Systematic Reviews
Librarian for Systematic Reviews
Please visit our updated guide for the most recent information!
Our Evidence Synthesis and Systematic Reviews guide version 2.0 is live as of August 20, 2024!
You can view our new guide, with current information, at:
https://guides.libraries.indiana.edu/systematic-reviews
Please be sure to update your bookmarks.
Thanks!
-The IU Bloomington Libraries Evidence Synthesis Team
What is a systematic review?
What is a Systematic Review / Evidence Synthesis?
Evidence synthesis is the process of bringing together information from a variety of sources and disciplines in order to further our understanding on a specific topic. A common form of evidence synthesis is the systematic review, or a study of studies.
Reviews and syntheses follow a rigorous, reproducible methodology, reducing as much bias as possible. They seek to identify and synthesize all research on a particular topic, including published and unpublished studies. Because of their depth and intensity, evidence syntheses and systematic reviews require a multi-person research team.
Types of reviews
Cornell University Library's Review Methodology Decision Tree, "What Type of Review Is Right for You?" [link to a PDF document], from their Evidence Synthesis Guide.
Characteristics of reviews
Characteristics of reviews to consider:
| Feature | Narrative | Scoping | Rapid | Systematized | Systematic |
| Question | Broad in scope | Exploratory | Well-defined and focused | Well-defined and focused | Well-defined and focused |
| Search | Not specified; potentially biased | Completeness of searching determined by time constraints | Completeness of searching determined by time constraints | May or may not be included in publication | Exhaustive, comprehensive, and reproducible |
| Appraisal | None | None | Time-limited assessment | May or may not include | Yes, important part of review |
| Synthesis | Narrative | Typically tabular with some narrative | Typically narrative and tabular | Typically narrative with tabular accompaniment | Typically narrative and tabular |
| Team | No | Yes | Yes | May or may not have a team | Yes |
| Meta-analysis of results | No | No | No | No | Sometimes |
| Time | <3 months | 12 months+ | <4 months | 8-12 months | 12-18 months+ |
Adapted from Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91-108.
Sample timeline
| Month | ||||||||||||
| Activity | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Preparation of protocol | ||||||||||||
| Searches for published & unpublished studies | ||||||||||||
| Pilot test for eligibility criteria | ||||||||||||
| Inclusion assessments | ||||||||||||
| Pilot test of "Risk of Bias" assessment | ||||||||||||
| Validity assessments | ||||||||||||
| Pilot test of data collection | ||||||||||||
| Data collection | ||||||||||||
| Data entry | ||||||||||||
| Follow up of missing information | ||||||||||||
| Analysis | ||||||||||||
| Preparation of review report | ||||||||||||
| Keeping the review up to date (12 months & on) | ||||||||||||
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Chart adapted from Timeline for a Cochrane Review, version 5.1.
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Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Version 6.3 (Updated 2022), is freely available.
Timeline predicter
- PredicTERPredicTER is a tool for estimating how long a review will take to complete. The tool calculates the time requirements for various tasks involved in reviewing evidence, from planning and coordination to quantitative synthesis and reporting.
The tool contains default values provided by an assessment of 5 years of systematic reviews and maps published by the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence, but users can tailor the tool based on what they know about their own subject.