The Steps of a Systematic Review

Summary

This video explains the systematic review process, emphasizing its rigorous scientific steps. It begins with preparing the topic by formulating clear and specific questions. Next, it covers searching for relevant studies, screening them for quality, and extracting key data. The process also involves analyzing and synthesizing evidence, particularly through meta-analysis, to assess research quality and potential biases. Finally, the results are reported in a detailed summary. The video outlines these steps to ensure that systematic reviews are comprehensive, thorough, and well-structured, making it easier to synthesize existing research and identify gaps in knowledge.

Takeaways

• 😀 A systematic review involves gathering, filtering, and analyzing existing evidence to answer specific research questions.
• 😀 The first step is to prepare your topic by ensuring your research question is specific enough to address with existing evidence.
• 😀 If your question is too broad, it may be impossible to gather all relevant evidence, while a too-narrow question may lack enough research.
• 😀 After preparing your topic, you move to step 2, which is searching for studies across electronic databases and unconventional sources.
• 😀 Step 3 is screening the studies you’ve found, ensuring that only those that answer your question and meet research quality standards remain.
• 😀 In step 4, data extraction involves pulling out specific information from the selected studies to answer your research question.
• 😀 Step 5 involves analyzing and synthesizing the evidence, which may include conducting a meta-analysis or evaluating the quality and potential biases of the studies.
• 😀 During the analysis phase, it’s crucial to combine data from various studies using statistical tools, if applicable, and assess the quality of the research.
• 😀 Once you’ve synthesized the evidence, you report your findings by summarizing the research steps and the conclusions drawn from the data.
• 😀 The steps of a systematic review include: preparing your topic, searching for studies, screening studies, extracting data, analyzing evidence, and reporting findings.
• 😀 By following these steps, you ensure a comprehensive and unbiased approach to answering research questions and identifying research gaps.

Q & A

What is a systematic review?

A systematic review is a rigorous, scientific process used to gather, combine, and evaluate existing evidence to answer specific research questions. It involves several well-defined steps to ensure comprehensive and unbiased results.

What is the first step in conducting a systematic review?

The first step is to prepare your topic. This involves reviewing the available evidence to ensure there is enough research to address your question and crafting a clear and specific research question that guides the search for relevant studies.

Why is it important to ensure your question is specific enough for a systematic review?

If your question is too broad, it may be impossible to gather all the relevant evidence. If it's too narrow, there might not be enough research to synthesize. A clear and specific question helps narrow down the studies you need to consider.

What does 'search for studies' involve in the systematic review process?

Searching for studies involves exploring electronic databases to find published articles related to your research question. It may also include looking in unconventional places to ensure you are gathering all relevant evidence.

What is the purpose of screening studies in a systematic review?

Screening studies involves carefully reviewing the studies you have gathered to eliminate those that do not answer your question or have unreliable research methods. This step ensures that only high-quality, relevant studies are included.

What does 'extracting the data' mean in the context of a systematic review?

Extracting data involves pulling out key pieces of information from the remaining studies that will help answer your research question. This ensures that the data you use is directly relevant to the topic at hand.

How is data analyzed and synthesized in a systematic review?

Once data is extracted, it is combined and analyzed to identify patterns and trends. In a meta-analysis, statistical tools are used to quantitatively combine the data. Additionally, the quality of each study is assessed, and potential biases are examined.

What role does meta-analysis play in the systematic review process?

Meta-analysis is a statistical method used to combine data from multiple studies to arrive at a more comprehensive conclusion. It helps aggregate findings and provides a more powerful statistical analysis of the evidence.

What is the final step in a systematic review?

The final step is to report your findings. This involves creating a detailed report that summarizes the evidence, explains the steps taken during the review, and shares your conclusions with others who are interested in your research question.

What is the significance of a systematic review in the research process?

A systematic review helps synthesize existing research in a clear and methodical way, identifying trends, gaps, and providing insights that can guide future research. It ensures that conclusions are based on the best available evidence.