The main steps above are taken from the following: Collaboration for Environmental Evidence. 2018. Guidelines and Standards for Evidence synthesis in Environmental Management. Version 5.0 (AS Pullin, GK Frampton, B Livoreil & G Petrokofsky, Eds) www.environmentalevidence.org/information-for-authors. [Accessed 2/2/2021]. Other guides will present the information slightly differently.
Initial Steps
- Identifying the Need for Evidence
- Others may have already done the systematic review that you have in mind.
- Determining the Evidence Synthesis Type
- Establishing a Review Team
Planning
- Scoping the evidence
- Developing and testing a search strategy
- Planning study eligibility criteria and eligibility screening
- Planning for data coding (Systematic Reviews and Maps) and data extraction (Systematic Reviews)
- Developing data synthesis methods (Systematic Reviews only)
- Estimating resource requirements
Writing and Registering a Protocol
- Writing out step-by-step how the systematic review will be conducted
- Examples of places to register a protocol include:
- PROCEED: "a global database of prospectively registered evidence reviews and syntheses in the environmental sector."
- PROSPERO: "an international database of prospectively registered systematic reviews in health and social care, welfare, public health, education, crime, justice, and international development, where there is a health related outcome."
Conducting a Search
- Conducting the Search
- Managing References and Recording the Search
- Updating and Amending Searches
Eligibility Screening
- Removing duplicates
- Identifying linked articles
- Recording and documenting eligibility screening
- Assessing screener agreement
Data Coding and Data Extraction
Critical Appraisal of Study Validity (Systematic Reviews)
Data Synthesis
Interpreting Findings and Reporting Conduct
