Systematic reviews

Overview of systematic review steps and resources to assist researchers conducting reviews.

Reporting your results

It is important to keep good records of your final searches in each database so that your search process is transparent and reproducible. There are various ways of doing this. It is recommended that your search results are reported in a PRISMA flow diagram which is a graphical representation of the flow of citations reviewed in the course of a Systematic Review.

PRISMA flow diagram
Maps out the number of records identified, included and excluded, and the reasons for exclusions.
Creating a PRISMA flow diagram
Here is a step by step guide to creating a PRISMA flow chart from the UNC Health Sciences Library.
PRISMA checklist
27 checklist items of a systematic review and meta-analysis, which include the title, abstract, methods, results, discussion and funding.
PRISMA for Searching (PRISMA-S)
The PRISMA extension for searching was published in 2021. The checklist includes 16 reporting items. This article by Rethlefsen et al is an explanatory paper that includes practical reporting examples to include in systematic review 'Methods' sections.

PRISM-S Checklist
The PRISMA extension for searching was published in 2021. The checklist includes 16 reporting items, each of which is detailed with exemplar reporting and Rationale.

Writing the review

When writing up your systematic review, be mindful of the specific guidelines for structuring your review. Ensure that you follow any other instructions to authors provided by the journals or organisations where you plan to submit your work.

Systematic review standards

Systematic review standards are elements that should be reported in any published systematic review.

There are a number of reporting standards for systematic reviews. These can serve as guidelines for protocol and manuscript preparation, and journals may require that these standards are followed for systematic reviews.

EQUATOR Network
The EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) Network is an international initiative that seeks to improve the reliability and value of published health research literature by promoting transparent and accurate reporting and wider use of robust reporting guidelines.
PRISMA
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) is an evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
There are a number of extensions of the original PRISMA standards