Skip to Main Content

DBMI Summer Interns: Advanced Literature Reviews: Home

What is a Systematic Review?

"A systematic review is a critical assessment and evaluation of all research studies that address a particular clinical issue. The researchers use an organized method of locating, assembling, and evaluating a body of literature on a particular topic using a set of specific criteria. A systematic review typically includes a description of the findings of the collection of research studies. The systematic review may also include a quantitative pooling of data, called a meta-analysis."

-- AHRQ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

StarRecommended Reading:
Umscheid, C. A. (2013). A Primer on performing systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 57(5), 725–734. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cit333


Review Decision Tree


Cornell University Library has an excellent review methodology decision tree which may help you select the type of literature review (or evidence synthesis) that works best for your research question/topic. 

Types of Reviews

StarRecommended Reading:
Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x

The expansion of evidence‐based practice across sectors has lead to an increasing variety of review types. However, the diversity of terminology used means that the full potential of these review types may be lost amongst a confusion of indistinct and misapplied terms. The objective of this study is to provide descriptive insight into the most common types of reviews, with illustrative examples from health and health information domains.