Systematic reviews

A systematic review attempts to collate all the empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question. It uses explicit, systematic methods that are selected with a view to minimizing bias, thus providing more reliable findings from which conclusions can be drawn and decisions made.

What are systematic reviews? (Cochrane)

Key characteristics of a systematic review

the a priori specification of a research question
a clearly stated set of objectives with pre-defined eligibility criteria for studies
an explicit, reproducible methodology
a systematic search that attempts to identify all studies that would meet the eligibility criteria
an assessment of the validity of the findings of the included studies, for example through the assessment of risk of bias
a systematic presentation, and synthesis, of the characteristics and findings of the included studies

They are usually considered to be the highest level of evidence in evidence-based practice.

Librarian involvement in systematic reviews is a practice recommendation by the Institute of Medicine and leading sources of evidence-based information including Cochrane and the Joanna Briggs Institute.

As part of your systematic review project team, HNE Health librarians

Design a comprehensive search strategy that complies with best practices and current systematic review standards
Translate search strategies across multiple resources
Provide search results using citation management software, such as EndNote
Write the complete search methodology that can be included in the final systematic review manuscript according to PRISMA guideline
Provide the PRISMA flow diagram

Education

Systematic Review Course (HETI and HNE Health Libraries). 10 sessions step participants through the process of conducting a systematic review. Intended for clinician and health service researchers but suitable for higher degree students.

UoN Systematic Review Guide

Tools for systematic reviews

There are free and subscription-based tools that support the systematic review process.

Catchii is a free systematic review (SR) screening tool designed to deliver an efficient and user-friendly experience when working with large datasets of scientific literature. It supports all key stages of the SR process, from duplicate detection to generating PRISMA flowcharts for publication.

Available to UoN Conjoint and affiliate staff and UoN students. Doing a higher degree? Check with your education provider to see if Covidence is available to you.

Abstrackr is a free, open-source tool for facilitating the citation screening process. Upload your abstracts, invite reviewers, and get to screening.

Rayyan is an online tool that can be used for screening and coding of studies in a systematic review. It uses tagging and filtering to code and organise references. Limited access is available for free, subscription pricing is available here

Available to UoN Conjoint and Affiliate staff and UoN students. Doing a higher degree? Check with your education provider to see if JBI SUMARI is available to you.

Systematic Review Accelerator (SRA) is a suite of automation tools developed by the Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare at Bond University. The SRA tools aim to make literature review and synthesis processes faster while maintaining and enhancing quality. The suite includes tools that can help with designing search strategies, title and abstract screening, citation tracking, and writing drafts for methods and result sections. The SRA tools are free and include extensive help pages.

RevMan is the software used for preparing and maintaining Cochrane Reviews. It is now available for non-Cochrane reviews. RevMan facilitates preparation of protocols and full reviews. RevMan is available on subscription.

AI tools for reviews

AI specialty guide

Using AI-powered tools for literature reviews – Macquarie University LibGuide

Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods in evidence synthesis: Learning Live webinar series