I am a member of the Cochrane Collaboration Wounds Group. Although I would not presume to respond for the Cochrane Collaboration, I am familiar with their processes. This might help you. They hold workshops to show people how to do a meta-analysis with their resources. Once the proposal is written, it is peer reviewed, with feedback to the author. The author can then proceed to conducting the systematic review and meta-analysis. If you are interested in doing this, I strongly recommend that you attend one of their workshops. It would be very helpful to you.

I am a member of the Cochrane Collaboration Wounds Group. Although I would not presume to respond for the Cochrane Collaboration, I am familiar with their processes. This might help you. They hold workshops to show people how to do a meta-analysis with their resources. Once the proposal is written, it is peer reviewed, with feedback to the author. The author can then proceed to conducting the systematic review and meta-analysis. If you are interested in doing this, I strongly recommend that you attend one of their workshops. It would be very helpful to you.

Dear Dr. Mohammad Ismail,

Yes it is possible. Please go through the article which I have attached.

Though Systematic reviews are currently accepted for PhD thesis, most universities still require a primary study to extend the results of review and its application in your setting. Acceptability of a SR topic as a PhD again depends on the topic, supervisor and the university. In India, the idea of SR as PhD topic is still in its infancy.

Dear Sir,

In that PDF file, article, only the authors have mentioned some Universities which offer and accept the Systematic review and meta-analysis topic as a PhD degree.

Herewith I have appended two PhD thesis based Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Hi,

I am PhD student in South of Brazi. In "my" PhD Program we don't require to do a primary experiment. Because this, the methodology of my thesis is "just" RS-MA. But, sure, it will depends of the University!

Good luck! 

I am a   supervisor  of Post Graduate Program in Health Sciences,  highly regarded in Brazil (Note 6 of a total of 7).

Most of my doctoral  thesis and dissertation  are systematic reviews and meta-analyzes published in the Cochrane or in high impact journals.

I think the systematic review is a design used to answer one research question like any other research protocol, with the best scientific evidence.

Exampleof  meta-analyzes published from a doctoral thesis:

Accuracy of magnetic resonance in suspicious breast lesions: a systematic quantitative review and meta-analysis.Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2011 Apr;126(2):273-85. 

Accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging in ovarian tumor: a systematic quantitative review. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2011 Jan;204(1):67.e1-10

Cochrane reviews are now being used for phD thesis in some of the universities and medical colleges in India but mainly the indian universities believe in doing some lab work or clinical research only

NO...FOR PHD YOU HAVE TO DEVELOP HYPOTHESIS AND DO RESEARCH ON IT. REVIEW IS NOT ACCEPTED AS PHD THESIS IN INDIA.

at Pranav Parekh,

Recently JSS university (Mysore) has started some PhD programs in Pharmacy Practice based Systematic reviews and Manipal University initiated some PG projects i.e. in Pharm D and pharmacy practice based on Systematic review and meta-analysis.

In India Private universities has started some initiation, but government universities still not. In India most of the guides don't know what is meta-analysis ?, what is its use ?, and most important, they don't know how to do these things ?

I was a PhD student at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, where my PhD work was on systematic review and meta-analysis of some Indian Medicinal Plants used in Brain Oxidative Stress.

But unfortunately I left that place !!!   

at Sharanbasappa Durg,

In that case, you might find some universities but we need to find if they are accepted by govt. of India. 

at Pranav Parekh ...

For deemed universities, it is not a big deal !

The only thing is, we need to get guide ! 

In India currently, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Science (NIMHANS), Banglore, Karnataka and All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi may offer Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics, Systematic review and Meta-analysis.

Well I kind of don't agree using meta analysis or systematic review for the basis of PhD or Masters( at least it does not happen in Western Universities). In my opinion, Masters or PhD should have a component of primary research. I am leading a Cochrane review and am aware of the process.

Cochrane systematic review as a PhD thesis: an alternative with numerous advantages

http://www.biochemia-medica.com/content/cochrane-systematic-review-phd-thesis-alternative-numerous-advan-tages

http://hrcak.srce.hr/59295?lang=en

http://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/249/

Doing a Systematic Review

A Student's Guide

https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/sam/doing-a-systematic-review/book240606

A few recent write-ups proposing systematic reviews, whenever appropriate, as a mandatory part of any post-graduate/PhD programme or candidature.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24480093

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13645579.2012.730704

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1025984815000228

http://plj.sagepub.com/content/2/1/32.full.pdf+html

How might a systematic review fit within doctoral work?

The following benefits and limitations of utilizing systematic reviews for PhD dissertation work have been identified by students and faculty (Clark, personal communication, 23 November 2014; Daigneault, Jacob, & Ouimet, 2012; Minnie, van der Walt, , Klopper, & Cummings, 2010; Perry & Hammond, 2002; Sambunjak & Puljak, 2010).

Few more examples of PhD theses and dissertations in systematic review and meta-analysis available at: http://nordic.cochrane.org/research-highlights

https://www.uvic.ca/hsd/nursing/assets/docs/graduate/policies/systematic-review.pdf

http://nordic.cochrane.org/research-highlights

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11372012