Subject Guides

Systematic Review

A step by step guide

Systematic Review Reporting Standards: PRISMA

Systematic Review are CONDUCTED according the Cochrane or JBI Guidelines.

They are REPORTED according the PRISMA standards.

These two process must be documented within your methodology section. 

Qualitative Synthesis of the Results

The purpose of the qualitative synthesis within a systematic review are to: 

  • Answer the PICO research question
  • Provide an overall narrative, textual summary analyzing, comparing and contrasting the evidence (data) acquired through the systematic search process

Additionally the qualitative synthesis should: 

  • Provide a general summary of the data elements identified in the extraction process
  • Analyze the relationships between studies, identify patterns and investigate heterogeneity
  • Discuss the applicability of the evidence in relation to the PICO research question 
  • Critique the strengths, weaknesses and risks of bias of the included studies
  • Compare the findings with current conventional wisdom 
  • Identify gaps in the evidence and suggest future research

Source: https://hslguides.osu.edu/systematic_reviews/synthesize

Tools for Writing the Review

Systematic Review Examples