Clinical and Research Support (old)

Not all reviews are created equal.

There are many types of review with different intentions and requiring very different amounts of input. 

Think about:

• What are you trying to do?
  • Definitively answer a very specific question?
  • Provide a quick overview of current thinking?
  • Scope out what evidence exists around a topic?

• How many resources do you have available?
  • Are you doing the review as an individual or as a team?
  • How much time do you have?
  • How much rigour do you intend to apply to the process?

Organisations such as The Cochrane Library or The Joanna Briggs Institute have very detailed specifications on how a systematic review should be done (see Systematic Reviews - Resources tab). 

Systematic reviews:

• involve a high degree of rigour 
• are done as a team project
  • multiple reviewers to reduce bias
  • statistical support
• require significant time and effort
  • 12-18 months is typical

Consider whether you will be able to meet these requirements.

Read the PRISMA 2020 Statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) for a checklist of the steps involved in a systematic review.

See the types of review tab for more information.