I am currently working on a literature review and would like to ensure I follow best practices for a rigorous and comprehensive search. I am particularly interested in strategies related to:
- PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)
- Boolean search techniques for database queries
- Managing large datasets of references (e.g., EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero)
- Grey literature inclusion and handling publication bias
What methodologies, tools, or frameworks have you found most effective in conducting systematic or scoping reviews? Are there any common pitfalls researchers should avoid?
Any insights, recommended reading, or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!
The best practices for conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) involve defining a clear, focused research question, developing a detailed review protocol, and conducting a comprehensive search across multiple databases, including gray literature. Studies should be screened using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, with data extracted in a standardized way, assessing quality and risk of bias. A thorough synthesis of the findings, either through narrative or quantitative methods like meta-analysis, should be performed while addressing potential biases and heterogeneity. The results should be transparently reported following PRISMA guidelines, including a flowchart of the study selection process, and acknowledging the limitations of the review. Finally, the review should be regularly updated and its findings disseminated to contribute to the body of knowledge.
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