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Systematic Reviews

7 Steps to a Systematic Review

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1. Prepare

  • Pull together a team 
  • Determine research question and review type
  • Search for existing reviews

2. Protocol

  • Determine eligibility criteria 
  • Write protocol
  • Share protocol in a registry 

3. Search

  • Develop search strategy
  • Save citations
  • Search grey lit
  • Document search according to PRISMAS

4. Screen

  • Screen titles/abstracts according to criteria
  • Locate full text of remaining articles
  • Screen full-texts

5. Evaluate 

  • Appraise all included studies for quality and risk of bias

6. Extract

  • Extract data from studies for analysis

7. Present

  • Consult PRISMA checklist
  • Organize supplemental materials