What are the different types of reviews?
Although systematic reviews are one of the most well-known review types, there are a variety of different types of reviews that vary in terms of scope, comprehensiveness, time constraints, and types of studies included.
Type of Review | Description | Time to Complete | Search Strategy | Read More |
---|---|---|---|---|
Narrative / Literature Review | Collates relevant studies and draws conclusions from them. | 2+ months | Search strategy not typically reported. Not comprehensive, which could introduce bias. | Balancing the strengths of systematic and narrative reviews. |
Scoping Review | Presents a preliminary assessment of the potential size and scope of available research literature. Aims to identify nature and extent of research evidence (usually including ongoing research). | 2+ months | Completeness of searching determined by time/scope constraints. Librarian collaboration recommended. |
Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. Chapter 11: Scoping Reviews (JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis) |
Rapid Review | Assesses what is already known about a policy or practice issue by using systematic review methods to search and critically appraise existing research. | 2-6+ months | Completeness of searching determined by time constraints. Librarian collaboration recommended. |
Evidence summaries: the evolution of a rapid review approach. |
Integrative Review | Reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. | 2-10+ months | Aims for exhaustive, comprehensive search. Librarian collaboration recommended. | The integrative review: updated methodology. |
Umbrella Review | Reviews other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on a topic. Focuses on a broad condition or problem for which there are competing interventions and highlights reviews that address these interventions and their results. | 2+ months | Identification of component reviews but no search for primary studies. Librarian collaboration recommended. | Methodology in conducting a systematic review of systematic reviews of healthcare interventions. |
Systematic Review | Attempts to identify, appraise, and synthesize all the empirical evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a given research question. Uses explicit methods aimed at minimizing bias in order to produce more reliable findings that can be used to inform decision making. | 10-12+ months | Aims for exhaustive, comprehensive search. Librarian will develop search strategy and write methods section of manuscript. | Conducting a systematic review: finding the evidence. |
Meta-Analysis | A statistical test that combines the results from multiple studies to answer one or more research questions | 10-12+ months | Aims for exhaustive, comprehensive search. Librarian will develop search strategy and write methods section of manuscript. | What makes a good systematic review and meta-analysis? |
More information on review types:
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