Systematic Reviews

Reviews and Definitions

Reviews come in different forms and may not extend to full-scale Systematic Reviews.

If you have been asked to undertake one of the following as an assignment, always check with your tutor(s) as to the exact requirements. 

For example, a 'Systematic Review' may actually mean a detailed literature review, using the core principles of a systematic review but without the very extensive remit of a full systematic review as carried out by a research group such as NIHR for the Cochrane Collaboration (Cochrane Library). 

The following are examples.

Umbrella Review

• An Umbrella review reviews only systematic reviews or meta-analyses  on a topic, thus allowing “the findings of reviews relevant to a review question to be compared and contrasted” (Aromataris et al., 2015).

Systematic Literature Review

• Involves detailed literature searching, with a survey and description of literature on a specific topic. May involve some critical analysis on the research found but less extensive and evaluative than a full Systematic Review
• See also: University of Bath 

Scoping Review

• The Cochrane Training platform hosts a presentation series on Scoping Reviews
  • Scoping reviews: what they are and how you can do them
• A Scoping Search in the earlier stages of a Systematic Review is an exploratory search to gauge the extent of material available (or not) on a subject area.  Subsequent to scoping, the topic may be refined or altered to match literature availability - typically, narrowing or broadening the initial subject
• Therefore a Scoping Review uses a detailed literature search as an exploratory tool, to identify existing coverage, gaps in the research, and the potential need (or otherwise) for a full-scale Systematic Review
• Munn et al. (2018) discuss reasons for carrying out scoping reviews and outline differences with systematic and general literature reviews

Narrative Review

• Equates to a general literature review, informing the rest of the work, such as a dissertation or thesis, but not as central or extensive as a Systematic Review.  Discursive and descriptive more than systematic.  See also the video at the end of this page

Literature Review

• Involves a search for relevant literature on one or more databases, but not intended to be exhaustive or follow the steps of a Systematic Review.  Discursive and descriptive more than systematic.  See also Narrative Review

Critical Review

• Emphasising the critical analysis of the literature retrieved, with a detailed look and comparison of articles

Rapid review

• Uses some Systematic elements, under a tighter time constraint, possibly for "new and emergent topics" (Lancaster University Systematic Reviews guide)

Other review types and suggested reading

• The above and other types of Review are summarised by Western Libraries, Western University 
• For fuller details see Grant and Booth
• Penn State University Libraries compare Systematic and Literature Review criteria
• Lancaster University's Systematic Reviews guide includes a list of 'Other review types' with definition

References and Further Reading

For links to these and other recommended reading, go to Further Resources and Suggested Reading in this guide.

Video

• The following video from the Academic Skills Centre, University of Birmingham, looks at Systematic and Narrative or Literature Reviews
• Can also be opened here in a separate tab or window