Systematic Reviews

A systematic review is a specific research methodology with well-defined, internationally accepted characteristics. These are clearly  described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Please check the handbook definition before proceeding.

College and Research Services Librarians can assist with systematic literature searching for both systematic reviews and literature reviews being undertaken by academics, researchers and HDR students. Please use our online booking form to make an appointment.

The Library services team can help with literature searching and literature reviews being undertaken by undergraduates and Masters by course students.

Before embarking on a systematic review, it’s important to first check that a review hasn’t already been done on your topic.  Use the databases most appropriate to your subject area and/or Google Scholar to check for systematic reviews in your area. You should also check for registered systematic review protocols lodged with Prospero, JBI EBP Database, and the Cochrane Library.

There are established standards and methods for conducting and reporting systematic reviews. Familiarising yourself with these in advance of beginning the review will ensure you produce a review of acceptable quality.  

See:
•    The Institute of Medicine’s standards for systematic reviews
•    Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA statement)
•    Cochrane Handbook (2011 ed.)
•    JBI Reviewers’ Manual (2014 ed.)
•    The EPPI-Centre’s ‘An introduction to systematic reviews’

Workload and timeframes

A systematic review is a large, complex undertaking that will most probably take many months to complete.

For example, unless your topic is very narrow or newly emerging, you can reasonably expect to have to download, deduplicate, and review for relevance hundreds, if not thousands, of citations once the searches have been executed. This can be a time-consuming process.

Data management

Access to, and familiarity with, citation management software is crucial to systematic review work.  EndNote is the product made available to Flinders University staff and students. It can be accessed on-campus and/or downloaded onto a personal computer. The Student Learning Centre provides EndNote training...

If the goal is to publish your review, to which journal do you intend to submit?
The editorial policy of your target journal may set out clear guidelines on the submission of systematic reviews. These guidelines may influence your methodology and how you report the review.  

If your systematic review is intended to inform PhD research, librarians can provide training and advice on search strategies and database translation. Librarians can also advise on how to set up autoalerts to automatically harvest any new studies published during the course of your candidature. In accordance with the University’s academic integrity policy they are not able to conduct the searches and translate into multiple sources.