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Systematic Reviews (SRs): Types of Reviews

Not All Reviews Are Systematic ....

Some types of reviews, for example literature and systematic reviews, are commonly known, but many other formal review types exist to address varying needs of scientific and clinical research. Check out the link and boxes below for more details and differentiation.

Narrative Review

Narrative reviews provide up-to-date knowledge on a specific topic from a theoretical and contextual point of view based on the research literature, i.e. published books and/or journal articles. A narrative review aims for:

  • comprehensiveness, 
  • broad coverage of a perspective of the topic,
  • a qualitative approach as opposed to the strict protocol, methodology and inclusion/exclusion criteria of SRs.

For example, a historical (narrative) review traces the development of a topic, such as the history and progress of the chicken pox vaccine. The comprehensive narrative thread that forms the body is not appropriate to the more structured format of a systematic review, characterized by a narrowly focused topic, answering a specific question, and conducted with a methodical, transparent, and reproducible protocol with strict inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Literature Review

Literature Review

  • Useful in tracing concept development
  • Scope is broad and comprehensive, methodology is not standardized.
  • Journal requirements vary, check the journal's instruction for authors.
  • May be narrative, scoping, critical, or an overview.

For more information on writing a literature review, see:

Systematic Review

Systematic Review

  • Summarizes the results of available carefully designed healthcare studies.
  • Uses standardized methodology with clearly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria.
  • May include quantitative analysis of data.

Meta-analysis

  • Statistical technique for combining the findings from disparate quantitative studies.
  • Uses statistical methods to objectively evaluate, synthesize, and summarize results.
  • May be conducted independently or as part of a systematic review.

Technology Reviews

Umbrella Review

Umbrella Review

 

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