There are many different types of reviews and evidence syntheses! Therefore, it's important to pick the review--also known as framing--that fits the needs and scope of your project. The table below is a side-by-side comparison of Systematic, Scoping, and Systematized Reviews.
|
|
Systematic Review |
Scoping Review |
Systematized Review |
|
Framing the Type of Review |
Intent is to provide a recommendation on a focused topic or to show the need for future research |
Intent is to show the current breadth & depth of literature on a topic. |
Intent is to show the coverage of a topic, and to provide recommendations for future research. |
|
Stating the research question |
Clearly focused question |
Broad question, specific topic |
Can be focused or broad. |
|
Defining inclusion/exclusion criteria |
Defined prior to performing the search and screening the articles |
Can be defined after performing the search and preliminary review of articles |
Can be defined prior to the search or after. |
|
Choosing databases to search |
Use more than one, as many as appropriate |
Use more than one, as many as appropriate |
Use more than one, as many as appropriate |
|
Performing the searches |
Exhaustive, reproducible |
Exhaustive, reproducible |
As exhaustive as time allows |
|
PRISMA Flow Diagrams |
Should be included |
Should be included |
Not necessary to include |
|
Screening the studies & assessing quality |
Blinded to remove selection bias |
Blinded to remove selection bias |
Blinded if possible |
Adapted from Grant MJ, Booth A. A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Info Libr J. 2009;26(2):91-108. doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
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