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Systematic Reviews

Before You Start

Systematic review graphic

                        Image Credit: HLWIKI Canada Creative Commons License

What is a systematic review? Here's what distinguishes systematic reviews from literature reviews and other types of research. Note: they need to be conducted by a team of at least 3 people.

Systematic Review Steps

Performing Scoping Searches

Doing a thorough scoping search is very important because you want to make sure you have an answerable review question. It helps you identify background literature which will be crucial in defining and refining your research question, decide on inclusion criteria and identify search terms. Identifying the most important sources of information for your search may change based on what you find during the scoping search. Too few or too many relevant studies may require a reframing of the research question.

  • Look at the Physical Therapy Databases tab for ideas on databases to start your search.
  • Document what you find, sign up for accounts in the major databases you will be using to save your search strategies and articles.
  • Search for other systematic reviews already done on your topic to explore terms and search strategies.
  • Start making a list of keywords, explore MeSH (medical) headings and subject headings. Explode those headings.
  • Some of the databases also have specific search filters for finding existing systematic reviews: PubMed has a filter, in Cinahl. Medline uses a subject subset, Cochrane provides an entire database of systematic reviews.
  • It's also a good idea to check PROSPERO, an international database of prospectively registered Systematic Reviews. Consider registering your own SR. It's helpful in terms of realistic project management (structure and timeline), discussing methods and standards and as a beacon of intent.
  • The Brown University Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC)  and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), have developed a collaborative, open Web-based repository of systematic review data. Search the Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR). The Campbell Collaboration promotes social and economic change through the production and use of systematic reviews and other evidence synthesis for evidence-based policy and practice. 

Use the Databases tab above to select databases for your search.

Literature Searching

  • In a systematic review you need to balance sensitivity and specificity.
  • Search individual concepts related to your research question within the databases. Then go to the search history and use Boolean operators to create a combined set of all the result sets.
  • Use truncation and adjacency but remember they often don't work for phrases in " " and are not needed for SH or MeSH term searches.
  • Use the NOT operator carefully. For example, NOT male would exclude all items where males and females are mentioned.
  • Searching Cinahl/MeSH headings in Cinahl Complete (EBSCO)
  • Searching MedLine with full text use the help within the EBSCO interface
  • Searching PEDro and FAQ about the Physiotherapy Evidence Database
  • Searching ProQuest - Nursing and Allied Health Database
  • Searching PubMed
  • Searching Scopus tips including how to save (each one must be saved individually)
  • Searching Web of Science 

See the Grey Literature section under the database listings (database tab) for places to search grey literature.

As a general rule, your search will need to be updated within 6 months of publication

Screening and Management Tools

Obtaining Full Text Articles

If you do not see the full text for an article in your search results, there are additional ways to check on the availability of an article:

  • Use Search A Lot on the library homepage and switch the search to title and search by the article title
  • Click on Full Text Finder within the databases (blue and green icon)
  • PubMed will also link you out to Walsh full text when it is available  - look for the box in the top right-hand corner

Ask a librarian!

Selecting Papers for Inclusion

At this stage apply your inclusion criteria to the selected papers and exclude the ones that don't fit your criteria.

Organization and consistency are important.

Predatory journals are showing up everywhere. A Confusion of Journals - What is PubMed Now?

Quality Assessment

Data Extraction, Analysis, Synthesis and Writing
The guide below gives specific advice on writing systematic reviews

Guides