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Evidence Synthesis: Types of Reviews

Types of Reviews

Evidence synthesis is any type of research methodology where researchers identify, select, and combine results from multiple studies.

This area of research is used to identify gaps in the evidence and establish a base for evidence-based decision-making.

Few common types of evidence synthesis are:

  • Systematic review
  • Umbrella review
  • Scoping review
  • Rapid review
  • Meta-analysis

What Review is Right for You?

Timelines

Evidence synthesis potential timelines:

  • Systematic review - 9 to 12 months
  • Meta-analysis - 10 to 12 months
  • Scoping review - 12 or more months
  • Rapid review - 3 to 6 months

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Reading List

  1. Grant MJ, Booth A. A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Info Libr J. 2009;26(2):91-108. doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
  2. Sutton A, Clowes M, Preston L, Booth A. Meeting the review family: exploring review types and associated information retrieval requirements. Health Info Libr J. 2019;36(3):202-222. doi:10.1111/hir.12276
  3. Munn Z, Peters MDJ, Stern C, Tufanaru C, McArthur A, Aromataris E. Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2018;18(1):143. doi:10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x 
  4. Kastner M, Antony J, Soobiah C, Straus SE, Tricco AC. Conceptual recommendations for selecting the most appropriate knowledge synthesis method to answer research questions related to complex evidence. J Clin Epidemiol. 2016;73:43-49. doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2015.11.022
  5. Garritty C, Nussbaumer-Streit B, Hamel C, Devane D, Group CRRM. Rapid reviews methods series: assessing the appropriateness of conducting a rapid review. BMJ Évid-Based Med. Published online 2024:bmjebm-2023-112722. doi:10.1136/bmjebm-2023-112722

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