Understanding Reviews

REVIEW ARTICLES

 

There are three different types of review articles: systematic reviews, meta-analyses (sometimes considered a type of systematic review) and literature reviews. 

 

1. Systematic Reviews

 "A systematic review attempts to identify, appraise and synthesize all the empirical evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a given research question. Researchers conducting systematic reviews use explicit methods aimed at minimizing bias, in order to produce more reliable findings that can be used to inform decision making." (Cochrane Collaboration, 2013)

 

This video (1:16 minutes) will describe the characteristics and purpose of a systematic review article:

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This video (4:54 minutes) will show an example of a systematic review article and point out how you can distinguish a systematic review from others types of articles:

 

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2. Meta Analyses

A meta-analysis is a type of systematic review in which results from many studies are statistically combined in order to summarize the overall outcome. Meta analyses are considered a high level of evidence because of the rigorous way in which they select and statistically synthesize the individual studies they include.

 

Examples:

Fall prevention with supplemental and active forms of vitamin D: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials Links to an external site.

Antibiotics for the primary prevention of acute rheumatic fever: a meta-analysis Links to an external site.

 

3. Literature Reviews

A literature review is a summary of the literature on a topic. May be biased since a systematic and rigorous process to determine which articles to include is not usually carried out. Note that a literature review is very similar to the traditional research paper required in many college courses.

 

Examples:

Staffing remote rural areas in middle- and low-income countries: A literature review of attraction and retention Links to an external site.

Towards pervasive computing in health care – A literature review Links to an external site.

 

 

Works cited

Cochrane Collaboration (2013) About Cochrane Systematic Reviews. Available at http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/view/0/AboutCochraneSystematicReviews.html Links to an external site.