Since I am an evidence-based medical researcher (in advanced oncology), systematic reviews (SRs) (along with meta-analyses and critical appraisals) are my regular tools (including in preclinical research). So let me start by noting that there are two aspects to acquiring the skill set for conducting high-quality systematic reviews: (1) by following the internal guidelines of the EBM authorities, and (2) by detailed study of high quality examples.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROCEDURES: IN DEPTH

You are right to request detailed, practical real-time step-by-step guidelines rather than the loose outer framework of what known as the PRISMA approach. The best of these are:

(1) CDR's Systematic Reviews: CDR's Guidance for Undertaking Reviews in Health Care (3rd Edition)

This excellent detailed handbook of the methods and steps necessary to conduct a systematic review

is from the authoritative Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) at the University of York who publish the DARE (Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects) Database of SRs.

At: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/SysRev/!SSL!/WebHelp/SysRev3.htm

(2) The Joanna Brigg's Institute Reviewer's Manual

Detailed step-by-step procedures, from The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) at the University of Adelaide, a

Cochrane Collaboration and the Campbell Collaboration partner.

At: http://www.joannabriggs.edu.au/Documents/JBIReviewManual_CiP11449.pdf

(3) Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions

From the renown Cochrane Collaboration, this is the most detailed but you may find the first two somewhat easier to commence with, then graduate to this handbook for all the advanced refinements, should that prove necessary, as a reference work although it has exceptional riches.

At: http://handbook.cochrane.org/

LEARNING BY ARCHETYPE / EXAMPLE

An excellent example of a systematic review of preclinical research is:

Do in vivo experimental models reflect human cerebral small vessel disease? A systematic review.

Written and conducted by Atticus Hainsworth and Hugh Markus at St. George's University of London, this represents a systematic review of in vivo models of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), and provides in depth information on the the literature search used, the precise search terms, and the inclusion and exclusion criteria, explicitly following the protocol of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

[J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2008; 28(12):1877-91]

At: http://www.nature.com/jcbfm/journal/v28/n12/full/jcbfm200891a.html

OTHER EXAMPLES

The University of Edinburgh operates the excellent in-progress CAMARADES collaboration that Alison Booth above shrewdly recommended, with which I would wholeheartedly agree. Their Protocols for Systematic Reviews of Animal Studies page includes several fine examples:

At: http://www.camarades.info/index_files/Protocols.html

plus some detailed monographs:

At: http://www.camarades.info/index_files/CMs.htm

PRESENTSATIONS AND MODEL PAPERS

In addition Malcolm Macleod, mentioned by Alison above, has done pioneer work in SRs in animal models of stroke, and he was the keynote speaker at an International Symposium on Systematic Reviews in Laboratory Animal Science sponsored by SYRCLE (SYstematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation) at Radboud Univeristy Nijmegen Medical Centre in The Netherlands. The presentation is available

At: http://www.umcn.nl/Research/Departments/cdl/SYRCLE/Documents/RAD121249%20NCEBP%20progrboekje%20symposium.pdf

and I think must reading is the SYRCLE authors' paper on:

A step-by-step guide to systematically identify all relevant animal studies

which provides exceptional and detailed step-by-step guidance and examples on the search / identification phase of preclinical systematic reviews:

At: http://la.rsmjournals.com/content/early/2011/09/15/la.2011.011087.full.pdf

Constantine Kaniklidis

Director of Medical Research,

No Surrender Breast Cancer Foundation (NSBCF)

European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)

You definitely can - see the great work Malcolm MacLeod and colleagues are doing. The Camarades collaboration provides a supporting framework for groups involved in the systematic review and meta-analysis of data from animal studies in experimental stroke. http://www.camarades.info/ There were many other fields represented at the 2nd International Symposium on Systematic Reviews in Laboratory Animal Science held in Edinburgh in March this year.

Thanks daniel & alison for the response.

You certainly can do it. The methodology is the same however the inclusion criteria can be more strict as preclinical studies are much easier to control for bias.

We are performing a SR on comparison of Scopus ISI and google scholar regarding citation analysis of scientific journal with no link to medicine.

this is very interesting Ramin, thank you.