SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

A systematic review involves a thorough analysis of a specific research question. It involves systematically identifying, selecting, evaluating, and synthesizing all relevant, high-quality research evidence to address the question. This process combines the results of multiple interconnected primary studies using methods that reduce biases and random errors. A well-conducted systematic review provides high-quality evidence for clinical practice and is widely regarded as the standard for guiding clinical practice. (Yusuff, 2023).

A systematic literature review is an essential research method for evidence-based reasoning. It involves gathering information from multiple studies, which leads to a comprehensive understanding of a topic. Unlike a narrative review, a systematic review identifies the criteria for selecting articles and uses explicit and standardized search methods, providing the audience with enlightenment and information. This method is based on predetermined criteria and aims to help researchers choose studies and tools for developing articles with original information.

While systematic literature reviews are commonly used in medicine, they can be adapted for other research areas. However, researchers from different fields must follow relevant guidelines to ensure their studies effectively address research questions and meet their objectives. Conducting a systematic literature review in business fields like management, marketing, and information systems typically adheres to a standardized approach, albeit with some variations and adjustments. These steps are designed to yield the most pertinent findings for the research.

A systematic review of research must be impartial and transparent in its methodology. The general principles that should underpin all systematic reviews are the following:

Transparency is critical in systematic literature reviews to ensure the accuracy of conclusions and the methodological approach. This transparency safeguards against misrepresentation by evaluating each research phase and clarifying its relevance and quality.

The initial framework of a systematic review is essential in guiding and maintaining the integrity of the process, keeping the focus on research objectives, and preventing the influence of literature characteristics on the procedure. An exhaustive search aims to uncover all relevant studies, reducing bias and simplifying access to research content. Thus, it ensures that a limited set of studies does not unduly influence conclusions.

Synthesizing search results leads to concise and accessible conclusions regarding the quality of research on a given topic.

The PRISMA flowchart in Fig. 4 gives the reader a better understanding of the review process. The overall goal of the coding procedure is to provide a comprehensive description of the studies considered and to obtain an overview of the study sample quickly. The coding sheet supports this procedure.