Literature Review

To conduct a systematic literature review, follow these key steps: 

1. Planning and Protocol Development:

• Formulate a Clear Research Question: Define the specific question you want to answer with your review, using a framework like PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome). 
• Develop a Protocol: Create a detailed plan outlining your review methodology, including the research question, inclusion/exclusion criteria, search strategy, data extraction plan, and synthesis methods. 
• Check for Existing Reviews/Protocols: Ensure your review is needed and not a duplication of previous efforts. 

2. Literature Search and Screening:

• Conduct Comprehensive Searches: Use multiple databases and search terms, and consider grey literature. 
• Screen Titles and Abstracts: Independently screen titles and abstracts to identify potentially relevant studies. 
• Assess Full Texts: Evaluate the full texts of potentially relevant studies against your inclusion/exclusion criteria. 

3. Data Extraction and Quality Assessment:

• Extract Relevant Data:

  Systematically extract data from included studies, using a standardized form.

• Assess Study Quality:

  Evaluate the quality of included studies using appropriate tools and methods. 

4. Synthesis and Analysis:

• Synthesize Findings:

  Summarize and interpret the findings from included studies, considering both quantitative and qualitative data.

• Consider Meta-analysis:

  If appropriate, conduct a meta-analysis to statistically combine results from multiple studies. 

5. Reporting:

• Report Findings:

  Write a comprehensive review report, following a standard reporting guideline like PRISMA.

• Ensure Transparency:

  Provide clear and detailed information about your methods and findings to ensure transparency and reproducibility.