What should I do before beginning a systematic review?
- Search databases and registries to see if anyone is planning or has published a systematic review on the same topic you are planning.
- Assemble a team of at least three people, including subject experts and experienced members of systematic review teams.
- Write a protocol or road map of your systematic review topic and process for collecting, screening, analyzing and extracting data, and synthesizing the final set of results. The protocol will also include a list of databases that will be searched, a tested search strategy and plan for quality appraisal. Plan to register your protocol.
- Draft a timeline for your process to help the systematic review team stay on track.
Learn more
Systematic Review & Evidence Synthesis Information Guide
See also