MORE RESOURCES >>   Systematic & Scoping Review Resources

The Basics  | The Research Question & PICO | PRISMA | More Instruments/Tools |
Software for Systematic Reviews | Scoping, Narrative and Rapid Reviews | Librarian Role |
Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS)  |  Search Filters | Economic Evidence |  Grey Literature

See also Evidence-Based Health Care | OPTIMa Reviews & Guidelines | Help with manuscript development  This page last updated March 8, 2021.

The Basics

• Sackett DL, Rosenberg WM, Gray JA, Haynes RB, Richardson WS.  Evidence based medicine: What it is and what it isn’t. BMJ 1996;312(7023):71-2.  PubMed Record
• Manchikanti L [and others]. Evidence-based medicine, systematic reviews, and guidelines in interventional pain management [Parts 1-7]. Pain Physician; 2008-2009.
• Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions; Cochrane Training
• Institute of Medicine. Finding What Works in Health Care: Standards for Systematic Reviews. 2011  Contents 
• Systematic reviews: CRD’s guidance for undertaking reviews in health care. York: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, 2008.
• Garritty, C., Tsertsvadze, A., Tricco, A. C., Sampson, M., & Moher, D.  Updating systematic reviews: An international survey. PLoS ONE 2010; 5(4). PubMed Record
• Jesson, J., & Lacey, F. How to do (or not to do) a critical literature review.  Pharmacy Education 2006; 6(2): 139-148.
• Wright RW, Brand RA, Dunn W, Spindler KP. How to write a systematic review. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2007 Feb;455:23-9. PubMed Record
• Videos on EBM from James McCormack: Viva La Evidence ; Some Studies that I like to Quote 

The Research Question & PICO

• Doody O, Bailey ME. Setting a research question, aim and objective. Nurse Res . 2016;23(4):19-23. PubMed Record
• Eriksen MB, Frandsen TF. The impact of patient, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) as a search strategy tool on literature search quality: A systematic review. J Med Libr Assoc. 2018 Oct;106(4):420-431.  PubMed Record
• Haynes B. Forming research questions. Chapter 1 in : Clinical Epidemiology: How to Do Clinical Practice Research. 3d ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006.
• Hulley SB, Cummings SR, Browner WS, Grady DG, Newman TB. Conceiving the Research Question. Chapter 2 in : Designing Clinical Research, 3rd Edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2007.
• Riva JJ, Malik KMP, Burnie SJ, Endicott AR, Busse JW. Commentary – What is your research question? An introduction to the PICOT format for clinicians. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2012 Sep;56(3):167-171. PubMed Record
• Walters BC. Commentary: Writing a clinical research question. Neurosurgery. 2019 Jan 1;84(1):17-18. PubMed Record

PRISMA

• The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews
• PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
  PRISMA Checklist:  PDF | Word
  PRISMA Flow Diagram:  PDF |  Word
• PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) | PRISMA-ScR Checklist | PDF | Word
• Moher D, Shamseer L, Clarke M, Ghersi D, Liberati A, Petticrew M, Shekelle P, Stewart LA; PRISMA-P Group. Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. Syst Rev. 2015 Jan 1;4:1. PubMed Record
  PRISMA-P Checklist: PDF | Word
• Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W [et al] PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation. 2018 Oct 2;169(7):467-473. PubMed Record
• More PRISMA reporting guidelines

More Instruments/Tools

• Finding the Evidence: Literature Searching Tools in Support of Systematic Reviews [Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)]
• PROSPERO: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews
• Open Science Framework Registry
• Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)
• AGREE: Advancing the science of practice guidelines [The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) Instrument evaluates the process of practice guideline development and the quality of reporting.]
• equator network: Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research. Reporting guidelines for main study types Search for reporting guidelines
• Yale MeSH Analyzer [A MeSH analysis grid can help identify the problems in your search strategy by presenting the ways articles are indexed in the MEDLINE database in an easy-to-scan tabular format.] What is the MeSH Analyzer?
• Epistemonikos [“Combines the best of Evidence-Based Health Care, information technologies and a network of experts to provide a unique tool for people making decisions concerning clinical or health-policy questions.”] Advanced search
• ExpertSearching [a listserv for medical literature searching problem solving, from the Medical Library Association]
• Assessing Articles Using JTASS [Journal/Title/Authors/Site/Summary] Adapted from: Sullivan BM. Access & Appraise: Using Advanced Search Features to Evaluate Results for Quality, Authority and Relevance. Lombard IL: National University of Health Sciences, 2008.

Software for Systematic Reviews

• EPPI-Reviewer [subscription required]
• Covidence [subscription required]
• DistillerSR [subscription required]
• Rayyan QCRI [free Web application]
• Covidence and Rayyan [Review, JMLA 2018]

Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS)

• McGowan J, Sampson M, Salzwedel DM, Cogo E, Foerster V, Lefebvre C. PRESS Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies: 2015 Guideline Statement. J Clin Epidemiol. 2016 Jul;75:40-6. PubMed Record ; PDF Version ; Search Submission & Peer Review Assessment [form]
• McGowan, J., Sampson, M., & Lefebvre, C. An evidence based checklist for the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS EBC). Evid Based Library Inf Pract 2010: 5(1): 149-154.
• Sampson, M., McGowan, J., Cogo, E., Grimshaw, J., Moher, D., & Lefebvre, C. (2009). An evidence-based practice guideline for the peer review of electronic search strategies. J Clin Epidemiol. 2009; 62(9): 944-952.  PubMed Record
• PRESS Forum [subscription required]

Librarian Role in Systematic Reviews

• Bethel AC, Rogers M, Abbott R. Use of a search summary table to improve systematic review search methods, results, and efficiency. J Med Libr Assoc. 2021 Jan 1;109(1):97-106. PubMed
• Nicholson J, McCrillis A, Williams JD. Collaboration challenges in systematic reviews: A survey of health sciences librarians. J Med Libr Assoc. 2017 Oct;105(4):385-393. PubMed
• Perrier L, Farrell A, Ayala AP, Lightfoot D, Kenny T, Aaronson E, Allee N, Brigham T, Connor E, Constantinescu T, Muellenbach J, Epstein HA, Weiss A. Effects of librarian-provided services in healthcare settings: A systematic review. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2014 Nov-Dec;21(6):1118-24. PubMed
• Spencer AJ, Eldredge JD. Roles for librarians in systematic reviews: A scoping review. J Med Libr Assoc. 2018 Jan;106(1):46-56. PubMed
• Townsend WA, Anderson PF, Ginier EC, MacEachern MP, Saylor KM, Shipman BL, Smith JE. A competency framework for librarians involved in systematic reviews. J Med Libr Assoc. 2017 Jul;105(3):268-275. PubMed

Search Filters

• Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). Search Filters
• McMaster Health Information Research Unit. Hedges.  MEDLINE  Economics
• Filters to Identify Guidelines [The InterTASC Information Specialists’ Sub-Group Search Filter Resource]
• Development and Testing of Search Filters to Identify Economic Evaluations in MEDLINE and EMBASE [Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)], 2009
  APPENDIX 1: Search strategies that are used to identify comparator records
  APPENDIX 4: Published search filters used in comparative testing
• Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Guide to Searching
• Cochrane Methods Information Retrieval

Economic Evidence

• Economic evidence [Cochrane Handbook Chapter 20]
• McMaster Health Information Research Unit. Hedges.  Economics – MEDLINE
• Cochrane Methods Economics
• Development and Testing of Search Filters to Identify Economic Evaluations in MEDLINE and EMBASE [Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health], 2009
  APPENDIX 1: Search strategies that are used to identify comparator records
  APPENDIX 4: Published search filters used in comparative testing

Scoping, Narrative and Rapid Reviews

• Arksey H, Huerbin L. Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. Int J Soc Res Methodol 2005; 8(1):19-32.
• Gannon R, Ciliska D, Thomas H. Expediting systematic reviews: Methods and implications of rapid reviews. Implement Sci. 2010 Jul 19;5:56.
• Grant MJ, Booth A. A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Info Libr J  2009; 29:91-108.
• Green BM, Johnson CD, Adams A. Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-reviewed journals: Secrets of the trade. J Chiropr Med 2006 Fall;5(3):101-117.
• Kastner M, Tricco AC, Soobiah C, Lillie E, Perrier L, Horsley T, Welch V, Cogo E, Antony J, Straus SE. What is the most appropriate knowledge synthesis method to conduct a review? Protocol for a scoping review. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2012 Aug 3;12:114.
• Khangura S, Konnyu K, Cushman R, Grimshaw J, Moher D. Evidence summaries: The evolution of a rapid review approach. Syst Rev. 2012 Feb 10;1:10.
• Levac D, Colquhoun H, O’Brien KK. Scoping studies: Advancing the methodology. Implement Sci 2010; 5:69-77.
• Tricco AC, Antony J, Zarin W, Strifler L, Ghassemi M, Ivory J, Perrier L, Hutton B, Moher D, Straus SE. A scoping review of rapid review methods. BMC Med. 2015 Sep 16;13:224. PubMed Record
• Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W [et al] PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation. Ann Intern Med 2018 Oct 2;169(7):467-473.
  PRISMA-ScR Checklist: PDF | Word

Grey Literature

Grey Literature is any literature that has not been published through traditional means. It is often excluded from large databases and other mainstream sources.

• University of Toronto. Gerstein Science Information Centre. How to Find & Document Grey Literature.  WORD
• Grey Literature Interactive Tutorial [University of Toronto online module]
• Grey Matters: a practical tool for searching health-related grey literature [Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)] This checklist includes national and international HTA web sites, drug and device regulatory agencies, clinical trial registries, health economics resources, Canadian health prevalence or incidence databases, and drug formulary web sites.  2019 Checklist
• Ontario Tech University. Health Sciences: Grey Literature
• Dissertations & Theses
  DART-Europe E-thesis Portal [DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses.]
  Open Access Thesis and Dissertations database [OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world.]
  NDLTT: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations […an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs).]
• Clinical Trials
  World Health Organization. International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP)
  U.S. National Library of Medicine. ClinicalTrials.gov […a database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies conducted around the world.]