This is a guide on conducting reviews. Systematic Reviews are not the only review type. This guide will help you
Cochrane defines a systematic review as an attempt “to identify, appraise and synthesize all the empirical evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a given research question". They should be exhaustive and use transparent methods. This minimises bias and ensures they are reproducible.
A meta-analysis is a "technique that statistically combines the results of quantitative studies to provide a more precise effect of the results" (Grant & Booth, 2009). It is normally performed on studies identified during a systematic review.
Scoping reviews seek to identify key concepts in a research area, map out available evidence and/or determine gaps in the literature.
Rapid review are "a form of knowledge synthesis in which components of the systematic review process are simplified or omitted to produce information in a timely manner" (Tricco et al., 2015). "This streamlining" may involve:
Realist reviews seek to answer the question “what works, for whom, under what circumstances?” (Wong, 2019). They take into account various factors that can impact on service delivery such as timing, culture, resources, staffing etc.. They are suited to researching the impact of complex interventions, as they seek to "understand how interventions work in different contexts, and why" (Wong (2019).
Mixed methods reviews seek to integrate mixed (quantitative and qualitative) data into a single synthesis to produce a narrative understanding.
provide an overview and analysis of a broad spectrum of material on a specific topic of interest.
Umbrella reviews are essentially systematic reviews of existing reviews. They are also known as a "review of reviews". They tend to address broad questions and are useful for comparing interventions and developing guidelines.
A Living Systematic Review is a continuously updated form of a Systematic review. The literature is continuously monitored and when new studies are identified, they are added to the review and the analysis is updated.
