A systematic review needs a planned, transparent process. Use this starter guide to prepare an evidence synthesis project for postgraduate research and to decide what expertise and time you need.
Begin with a protocol
Write the question, eligibility criteria, information sources, screening process, extraction plan, and approach to appraisal and synthesis before conducting the full review. Record subsequent changes and explain why they were needed.
A practical planning checklist
- Define the question: For an intervention review, specify the population, intervention, comparator, and outcomes.
- Set eligibility: Decide which study designs, settings, dates, languages, and outcome measures are relevant. Explain restrictions.
- Plan the search: Choose appropriate databases and additional sources. Ask a librarian or information specialist to review the strategy where possible.
- Organize screening: Plan reviewer responsibilities, disagreement resolution, and the recording of full-text exclusion reasons.
- Pilot extraction: Test a form that captures study characteristics, outcome definitions, and the information needed for synthesis.
- Plan appraisal: Select a risk-of-bias approach suited to the included study designs.
- Plan synthesis: Explain how studies will be grouped and how differences between them will be handled.
Decide whether meta-analysis is appropriate
A systematic review does not have to contain a meta-analysis. Consider whether the questions, populations, interventions, and outcome measures are sufficiently compatible before deciding to pool results. Do not choose a pooling method solely because software offers it.
Make the work reviewable
Keep search strategies, search dates, screening decisions, extraction forms, and analysis files organized. A reader should be able to understand how evidence was identified and why particular studies were included.
Build a realistic postgraduate project
Before proposing a review, estimate the likely screening volume, available reviewer support, access to full texts, and the time required. Discuss whether the scope matches your degree and supervision resources.
Authoritative starting point
The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions provides detailed methods guidance for intervention reviews. Consult guidance appropriate to your review type. Source checked: 10 October 2026.
Continue with proposal planning and academic writing, or return to the hub.