Does the second reviewer need to go through all the steps in the selection process? Do i need to include the seach strategy of the second reviewer in my appendix, or just one is fine?
thank you
The search strategy is common for both reviewers. In other words, you develop a search strategy and retrieve the initial set of articles. Then, both reviewers start the selection process independently. Both reviewers go through all phases and disagreements are mediated first between them and if not possible by a third person from the research team.
Yes ideally both reviewers use the same method and come up with the same results. But there are differences in interpreting the inclusion exclusion criteria as well as how relevant a paper is. The more papers you review the more discerning you become. If two reviewers start from different points then you are better placed to not exclude a paper due to reviewers fatigue and balance each other out. I would certainly advise if you have a large number of abstracts .... happy reviewing...!
By using same search strategy and inclusion/exclusion criteria which is determined a priori both reviewers may do search and come up with a set of articles. There are always some articles which need discussion about meeting predefined inclusion criteria .Both reviewers reach agreement on inclusion of these articles or may sometimes need consultancy from another expert..
Essentially the second reviewer assesses the same studies identified as the first reviewer, simultaneously and independently to them. They should be using the same data extraction tool and they keep a record of the studies they rejected/ included and the reasons why.
Basically having two assessors helps you convince the reviewers of your article that you have a valid method to avoid paper selection bias and it helps you make sure that you have included all the papers appropriate and you haven't missed one out.
In our recently published article we provide guidelines for systematic reviews. We also write about biases. A second reviewer is used to avoid such biases. You can find our article on my ResearchGate page: Christian F. Durach, Joakim Kembro & Andreas Wieland (2017), A new paradigm for systematic literature reviews in supply chain management, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 53, Issue 4.