What is a Systematic Review Dr. Nancy Agens, Head, Technical Operations, Pubrica sales@pubrica.com
In Brief A systematic review is a secondary research as it requires a careful analysis of the quality, quantity, and consistency of research findings. Systematic reviews formulate research questions that are specifically targeted and designed to provide a complete summary of the issue based on evidence. The methodology used in systematic reviews is specific and precise, which intends to minimize bias by increasing the reliability of the drawn conclusion. I. INTRODUCTION A systematic review is a process of identifying comprehensive studies for a research specific question through evaluating the methods of the study, summarizing the results, presenting key findings, identifying reasons for produced results across the study and mentioning limitations with current knowledge. A systematic review is the most reliable source of evidence for clinical practices as it delivers thorough summary of primary research in response to the defined research question and it is also known as secondary research because of the nature and use of existing research study. Though systematic review can be performed on all primary research, they are often used for guideline development, and the findings are applied mainly within the healthcare systems. In a systematic review, the compiled information tends to be explicit and more transparent using reproducible methods. Further, it expresses a precise aim through rigorous search with predetermined eligibility criteria for studies, an assessment of the validity of
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the findings, a systematic presentation and synthesis of the included primary research studies. The methodology used in systematic reviews is specific and precise, which intends to minimize bias by increasing the reliability of the drawn conclusion. The produced results of a systematic review can be summarized either in text or graphic form, and it depends upon the nature of the primary data. As like primary research studies, there are reporting standards designed for systematic reviews as well. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses), provides a set of regulations on how to report a systematic review. Likewise, for selecting a secondary research question, there are designated formats. A systematic review question typically focused research question with narrow parameters and usually fitted into the PICO question format. One such example is "In people with multiple sclerosis, what is the extent to which a walking intervention, compared to no intervention, improves self-report fatigue?". Based on the specific guidelines, the primary two organization which administer the conducting of a systematic review are the Campbell Collaboration and the Cochrane Collaboration. While the Cochrane Collaboration focuses on the health sciences subject area, the Campbell collaboration works on other areas such as crime and justice, international development, education and social welfare. In addition to these organizations, the individual research team can work on systematic review in attempting to answer a research question.
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