Bachelor of Health Sciences

Please visit our Systematic Review in the Health Sciences Research Guide for more information. 

A systematic review is a comprehensive structured approach to knowledge synthesis in which transparent and rigorous procedures are applied to identify, select, critically appraise, and synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of a specific intervention, such as a medical procedure, program or diagnostic test. 

Not all questions can appropriately be answered by a systematic review. The following article offer a typology of alternative review types you may wish to consider (see Table 1 for brief descriptions):

• Grant M, Booth A. A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal. 2009;26(2):91-108.

A scoping review maps what researchers know and do not know (scope and coverage) about a topic area to identify new directions for further research. Requires a comprehensive literature review approach.