Section 3: Conducting a Systematic Review

This section explains the processes involved in conducting a systematic review, including literature search, selection, and data extraction.

1. Conduct a thorough and reproducible literature search.
2. Apply inclusion and exclusion criteria to select relevant studies.
3. Use standardized forms to extract data from the selected studies.
4. Minimize bias and ensure the reliability of the review process.

The first step in systematic review research is to identify all studies that contain data relevant to the research question. A comprehensive, transparent, and repeatable literature search is critical to the validity of the results of a systematic review (HSL, 2024). Below, the issues to be considered during the screening and selection stages are explained. In addition, suggestions for determining inclusion and exclusion criteria are provided.

Hannigan, B., Edwards, D., & Burnard, P. (2004). Stress and stress management in clinical psychology: Findings from a systematic review. Journal of Mental Health, 13(3), 235–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638230410001700871

HSL [Healty Sciences Library, University of North Caroline] (2024). What are the different types of reviews? - Ask HSL. (2024). https://asklib.hsl.unc.edu/faq/366908

McGowan, J., & Sampson, M. (2005). Systematic reviews need systematic searchers. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 93(1), 74.

MacMillan, F., McBride, K. A., George, E. S., & Steiner, G. Z. (2019). Conducting a systematic review: A practical guide. In P. Liamputtong (Ed.), Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences (pp. 805–826). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5251-4_113

Moher, D., Shamseer, L., Clarke, M., Ghersi, D., Liberati, A., Petticrew, M., Shekelle, P., Stewart, L. A., Estarli, M., Barrera, E. S. A., Martínez-Rodríguez, R., Baladia, E., Agüero, S. D., Camacho, S., Buhring, K., Herrero-López, A., Gil-González, D. M., Altman, D. G., Booth, A., … Whitlock, E. (2016). Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. Revista Espanola de Nutricion Humana y Dietetica, 20(2), 148–160. https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-4053-4-1/TABLES/4

Murphy, G. (2019). A systematic review and thematic synthesis of research on school leadership in the Republic of Ireland: 2008–2018. Journal of Educational Administration, 57(6), 675–689. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-11-2018-0211/FULL/HTML

Randles, R., & Finnegan, A. (2023). Guidelines for writing a systematic review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105803

Polanin, J. R., Pigott, T. D., Espelage, D. L., & Grotpeter, J. K. (2019). Best practice guidelines for abstract screening large‐evidence systematic reviews and meta‐analyses. Research Synthesis Methods, 10(3), 330-342.