Literature Review Process:

Jahan, N., Naveed, S., Zeshan, M., & Tahir, M. A. (2016). How to conduct a systematic review: A narrative literature review. Cureus, 8(11). https://search.proquest.com/docview/1953300310?accountid=142373

Characteristics of Systematic Reviews:

• Provide a comprehensive summary of current literature relevant to a research question.

• Employ systematic and explicit methods for identifying, selecting, and critically appraising primary research.

• May or may not include meta-analysis; aims to be unbiased.

Differentiating Systematic Reviews from Narrative Reviews:

• Systematic reviews are formal, rigorous, and use explicit methods.

• Narrative reviews are less formal and involve theoretical discussions.

PRISMA-P Checklist:

• Guides systematic review steps, including documenting authors, eligibility criteria, information sources, search strategies, study selection, bias assessment, and data synthesis.

Steps in Conducting a Systematic Review:

1. Formulate a Research Question:

   • Outlines the need and validity of the systematic review.

   • Aims for efficiency without being too narrow or broad.

2. Tools for Formulating Research Question:

   • PICO: Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes.

   • SPIDER: Setting, Perspective, Intervention, Comparison, Evaluation.

   • SPICE: Setting, Perspective, Intervention, Comparison, Evaluation.

   • ECLIPSE: Expectation, Client group, Location, Impact, Professionals, Service.

3. Establish Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria:

   • Preset criteria minimize bias.

   • Eligibility criteria set boundaries based on participants, interventions, and comparisons.

4. Protocol, Registration, and Development:

   • Plan and document research before starting for consistency and transparency.

   • Use platforms like Prospero and Cochrane for registering research protocols.

5. Literature Search:

   • Select appropriate electronic databases (e.g., PsychINFO, Google Scholar).

   • Review references, clinical trial registries, and gray literature for unpublished papers.

6. Search Techniques:

   • Use Boolean operators, truncation, and wildcards for effective searches.

7. Study Selection:

   • Systematic process with low risk of bias.

   • Independent researchers select studies using predefined criteria; disagreements resolved through discussion or third researcher.

8. Data Screening and Extraction:

   • Screen relevant articles in different databases.

   • Select manuscripts based on inclusion criteria.

   • Review references before final paper selection.

   • Extract and appraise data using predefined forms; involve more than one person in recording data.

9. Bias Considerations:

   • Types of bias: selection, detection, attrition, reporting, performance.

   • Awareness and mitigation are essential.

10. Data Synthesis and Presentation:

• Summarize and discuss evidence for different outcomes.

• Draw conclusions after evaluating results and considering limitations.

11. Systematic Reviews' Ranking in Evidence-Based Practice:

• Systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, are currently considered the best in evidence-based practice.