Systematic Reviews
Explore Library services available to support researchers engaged in systematic reviews, evidence synthesis and meta-analysis.
A systematic review attempts to identify, appraise and synthesize all the empirical evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a specific research question.
What is a Systematic Review?
A Systematic Review is much more than a literature search which is approached systematically. As Cochrane Library describe, "Researchers conducting systematic reviews use explicit, systematic methods that are selected with a view aimed at minimizing bias, to produce more reliable findings to inform decision making."1 Find out more about the difference between the two on our Systematic Review Guide.
Although Systematic Reviews do not require any original research and are not subject to ethical approval, they are not an easy option. They are major pieces of research in their own right and follow a strict methodology involving an extensive range of steps, including:
- formulate/ define your research question
- justify the need for a Systematic Review
- produce a protocol and define the parameters
- identify a small number of relevant papers to use as benchmark literature throughout the process
- identify appropriate bibliographic sources to search
- design search strategy and undertake systematic literature search
- manage search results
- screen search results
- perform quality assessment on included studies, including risk of bias
- data extraction from included studies
- assess heterogeneity of studies
- perform data synthesis/ summary of evidence – meta-analysis/ narrative synthesis
- interpret the findings
- complete write up
- undertake dissemination
Library staff are available to offer support to postgraduate students and research staff for steps 5-7 of this Systematic Reviews process.
1. Cochrane Library (2021) About Cochrane Reviews. Available at: www.cochranelibrary.com/about/about-cochrane-reviews
Postgraduate students
Your Liaison Team are available to advise and support the literature search stages of your Systematic Review. To gain the most from your time with your Liaison Librarian and allow us to advise on the best resources to include in your search, postgraduate students should have completed the following steps before arranging a consultancy:
◦ have a defined research question
◦ have identified the types of study to be included (and excluded)
◦ have example benchmarking literature
◦ have attempted a scoping search on at least one database or platform
Your Liaison Librarian will ask for this information ahead of a consultancy and it should be provided at an agreed time in advance of your meeting.
Research staff
The Liaison Team are available to support your Systematic Review research in one of two ways.
1. Advice and support
If you are seeking advice on running a systematic review, we ask that your Liaison Librarian is acknowledged in any published output. Where this is the case we can:
- assist you to run a scoping search with a limited number of search terms to confirm if your question is suitable for performing a systematic review
- provide advice on which databases to use, and guidance on how to search within them systematically
- offer advice on how to use EndNote and screening software as part of the screening process
2. Participation in the review team
If you are seeking further involvement from your Liaison Librarian and would be asking them to construct and run, rather than merely advise on, the search strategy and to manage the process of exporting the results to EndNote and screening software, we ask that the librarian undertaking the work is a named co-author on any publications, as part of the review team that has undertaken the work. You should approach your Liaison Librarian to discuss the project as you begin to establish your team. Involvement will ultimately depend upon capacity and appropriate expertise within the Liaison Team.
Aspects within a review that the Liaison Librarian might undertake would include:
- devise a search strategy in collaboration with subject experts on your team
- run a systematic search across multiple databases
- export results from databases into EndNote and deduplicate to leave unique articles
- provide guidance on exporting options into chosen screening tool
- search for and upload PDFs of full text when appropriate
- record article numbers as appropriate to create a PRISMA/ROSES diagram
- write the relevant search strategy statement in subsequent publications
- provide search strategies for appendices or supplementary information in line with publisher/ funder guidelines
Systematic Review consultancy
Book a one-to-one appointment with your Liaison Librarian to discuss your literature search and the level of support we could offer your review.
Incredibly useful and personalised advice, I was so grateful for all the time and help put in during my session and in preparation for it. I feel so much more confident using database searching and I appreciate the follow up information and resources.