Literature Review  (or Narrative Review)

• is a review of scientific works in relation to a specific topic or problem
• helps identify what has already been researched, how it has been developed over years, and what remains to be explored
• requires both a summary and synthesis (new interpretation of old materials) on the literature
• may be subject to bias, because researchers tend to pick up only the studies (mostly with positive results) that support their arguments
• You can read them as a general and accurate guide to what is already known about a given topic.
• They are a key part of the research process. They help you establish a theoretical and methodological framework or context for your research.
• By doing a literature review, you can locate existing patterns and trends. This helps you find the gaps in your field and formulate a meaningful research question.

Systematic Review

• is a review of evidence-based studies and it aims to support the clinicians or researchers to find out the best available evidence to a specific problem
• uses a rigorous research methodology to identify, select and appraise scholarly works in order to minimize bias
• requires an exhaustive and reproducible search process
• needs to include as much evidence as possible, both the positive and negative ones
• often used to inform the development of clinical guidelines and practice.
• now also widely used to measure the cost-effectiveness or impact of socioeconomic interventions.

Meta-Analysis

• A systematic review that, in addition to a narrative summary, combines all the studies’ results into a single statistical analysis.

From:  Wu, E. (n.d.). Guides & Tutorials: Systematic Search for Systematic Review: Introduction. Retrieved July 19, 2024, from https://libguides.lb.polyu.edu.hk/syst_review/intro