1. Develop a Research Topic
- The PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator/Comparison, Outcomes) help to clarify the critical elements of a key question
- A research question might be refined after performing a preliminary literature search
2. Define Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
- Define which subjects or studies will be included into the review
- Determined by the research question
- Need to be defined before the search is conducted
3. Search the Literature
More details are provided in Literature Search
4. Select Studies
- Usually conducted in two passes
i. Review title and abstract
ii. Review full text
- At least two independent reviewers with a third person availabe for conflicts
- Keep a log of excluded studies with reasons for exclusion
5. Assess study quality
- Each study meeting the inclusion criteria is accessed for quality
- More studies may be excluded after this step
- Must be documented
6. Extract Data
- Reviewers will extract data from the included documents to be analyzed either qualitatively or quantitatively
- Reviewers may develop standardized forms
7. Analyze and Present Results
- Either qualitative or quantitative (Meta - Analysis)
- May have to perform sensitivity analyses and examine funnel and forest plots
8. Interpret Results
Reviewers should comment on:
- Strength of the evidence
- Applicability of the results
- Benefits/costs/tradeoffs
- Limitations
- Implication for future research
9. Update the Review as Needed
New research findings can quickly make Systematic Reviews out of date.
