Research Guides: Literature Reviews: Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses

Systematic Literature Reviews

A systematic review is a scholarly synthesis of the evidence on a clearly presented topic using critical methods to identify, define and assess research on the topic. A systematic review extracts and interprets data from published studies on the topic, then analyzes, describes, and summarizes interpretations into a refined conclusion.

How to Conduct a Systematic Review
Step by step guide for conducting systematic literature reviews from Western University Libraries.
PRISMA
PRISMA is an evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. PRISMA primarily focuses on the reporting of reviews evaluating the effects of interventions, but can also be used as a basis for reporting systematic reviews with objectives other than evaluating interventions (e.g. evaluating aetiology, prevalence, diagnosis or prognosis).
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
The official guide that describes in detail the process of preparing and maintaining Cochrane systematic reviews on the effects of healthcare interventions.

Advanced Research Skills: Conducting Literature and Systematic Reviews by Kelly Dermody; Cecile Farnum; Daniel Jakubek; Jo-Anne Petropoulos; Jane Schmidt; and Reece Steinberg
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Publication Date: 2022
A short course for graduate students to increase their proficiency in conducting research for literature and systematic reviews.

Meta-analysis

A meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies. Meta-analyses can be performed when there are multiple scientific studies addressing the same question, with each individual study reporting measurements that are expected to have some degree of error.

How to conduct a meta-analysis in eight steps: a practical guide
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Hansen, et al. (2022). From Management Review Quarterly.
Ten simple rules for carrying out and writing meta-analyses
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Forero, et al. (2019). From PLoS Computational Biology.

Tools

EndNote for Systematic Reviews
Guide from University College London on using EndNote to conduct literature reviews using advanced searching features.
Publish or Perish
Publish or Perish calculates many metrics, including h-index and variations of the h-index, based on downloaded Google Scholar data. The program can also be used to export results in formats that can be imported into citation managers for further analysis.

Training Resources

Evidence Synthesis Guide
Put together by the Evidence Synthesis Methods Interest Group (ESMIG), this guide provides links to resources, tools, scholarly articles and other information to support information professionals conducting and assisting with evidence. synthesis
Evidence Synthesis Institute
Contents from a training program aimed at library employees supporting evidence syntheses in areas outside of the health sciences. Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Advanced Research Skills: Conducting Literature and Systematic Reviews Course Book
A free, short online course book, published by Toronto Metropolitan University, for graduate students to increase their proficiency in conducting research for literature and systematic reviews.
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions is the official guide that describes in detail the process of preparing and maintaining Cochrane systematic reviews on the effects of healthcare interventions. All authors should consult the Handbook for guidance on the methods used in Cochrane systematic reviews.
Systematic Searches
Series of video tutorials (with transcripts) developed by Yale University that cover fundamental concepts and general procedure of searching the health science literature in a systematic manner.
Training Modules for the Systematic Reviews Methods Guide
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality developed training modules (i.e., slides) that can be used by faculty engaged in educating investigators and clinicians interested in systematic review methods.
Introduction to Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Course
A course offered by John Hopkins University that describes the steps in conducting a systematic review, as well as the process used to collect and extract data from reports of clinical trials. It also covers useful methods to critically assess the risk of bias of clinical trials and ways to interpret the results of meta-analyses.