Standards & Guidelines

Systematic reviews are a rigorous and transparent method of summarizing and evaluating existing research on a particular topic. To ensure the reliability and quality of systematic reviews, various standards and guidelines have been developed such as PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). PRISMA provides a comprehensive checklist and flow diagram to improve the reporting quality of systematic reviews. It covers key aspects such as study selection, data extraction, and synthesis of results.

Different journals and organizations may have their own specific requirements for conducting and reporting systematic reviews. It is advisable to consult the specific guidelines relevant to your field of study or intended publication venue.

Eldermire & Young (2022) note the following as important systematic review standards and guidelines:

• Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 6.4 (updated August, 2023)
• Institute of Medicine Standards for Systematic Reviews, "Finding What Works in Health Care: Standards for Systematic Reviews" 2011
• Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA)
• PRISMA extension for Protocols
• Methodological Expectations of Cochrane Intervention Reviews (MECIR) -  MECIR Manual (updated August, 2023)
• Methodological Expectations of Campbell Collaboration Intervention Reviews (MECCIR) Conduct and Reporting Standards (The Methods Group of the Campbell Collaboration, 2019)
• A Guide to Writing a Qualitative Systematic Review Protocol to Enhance Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare (Butler, 2016)
• Methodological Guidance Paper: The Craft of Conducting a Qualitative Review (Wilson & Anagnostopoulos, 2021)

Butler, A., Hall, H., & Copnell, B. (2016). A guide to writing a qualitative systematic review protocol to enhance evidence-based practice in nursing and health care. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 13(3), 241–249. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12134

Eldermire, E. & Young, Y. (2022). World of reviews. In M. J. Foster & S. T. Jewell (Eds.), Piecing together systematic reviews and other evidence syntheses (pp. 17-30). Rowman & Littlefield.

Wilson, S. M., & Anagnostopoulos, D. (2021). Methodological Guidance Paper: The craft of conducting a qualitative review. Review of Educational Research, 91(5), 651-670. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211012755