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Evidence Synthesis Review Guide

A guide to performing systematic reviews and requesting assistance from a librarian.

Types of reviews

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A systematic review is not the only type of review. Grant and Booth (2009) identified 14 different types of reviews:

  • Critical review
  • Literature review
  • Mapping review/systematic map
  • Meta-analysis
  • Mixed studies review/mixed methods review
  • Overview
  • Qualitative systematic review/qualitative evidence synthesis
  • Rapid review
  • Scoping review
  • State-of-the-art review
  • Systematic review
  • Systematic search and review
  • Systematized review
  • Umbrella review

Distinguishing between common review types

Literature review:

  • can be single-authored
  • can be a broad topic or a specific question
  • does not specify source of literature (i.e., databases searched)
  • does not include reproducible search strategies
  • does not have specific study selection criteria
  • does not formally assess study quality
  • may be influenced by the reviewer's theories, needs, and beliefs
  • is narrative

Rapid review:

  • is conducted with time constraints
  • uses simplified systematic review methods
  • includes time-limited formal assessment of study quality
  • is narrative and tabular

Scoping review:

  • assesses size and scope of available literature on certain topic
  • limits literature searching by time and scope constraints
  • does not formally assess study quality

Umbrella review:

  • is a review of reviews
  • compiles evidence from multiple reviews into one document