Consider if a scoping review is required first.
Become familiar with standards for the design, conduct and reporting of systematic reviews. eg
. PRISMA - Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
. Cochrane Handbook
. Institute of Medicine Standards for Systematic Reviews
. CASP Systematic review critical appraisal checklist
. An Introduction to Systematic Reviews
Allow sufficient time - systematic reviews take many months of work by the team.
Assemble your review team - systematic reviews are rarely done by a single individual.
Be prepared to screen large numbers of references. Searches for systematic reviews usually generate large numbers of citations.
Define the review question - key question/s to be answered using a PICO or other relevant framework, including inclusion and exclusion criteria.
The review team should meet with the Librarian to ensure clarity of understanding on the topic and the process that will be followed.
Request the librarian to do a scoping review to determine if the topic has already been reviewed.
Provide the librarian with any gold standard references that must be found from a search strategy.
Register the review protocol with PROSPERO - International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.
Ensure you have EndNote installed on any computer you will be using in doing the review.
Consider using tools to manage the process. SMHS has invested in Research Screener.- The SMHS Research Support and Development unit will provide a login to SMHS staff needing to screen large sets of citations for research or systematic / scoping reviews. Form to request a login.
Covidence is software that can help with the review process for citations found from a search. It is available for staff in EMHS/SMHS via a library subscription.
Other options: Systematic Review Data Repository SRDR+, PICO Portal, RevMan from Cochrane, JBI SUMARI or Rayyan to manage the process. SRDR+ is a free, powerful, easy to use tool for data extraction, management, and archiving. RevMan cannot be automatically installed on WA Health PCs.
McGill Library Guide on using Rayyan for systematic reviews
When writing up the systematic review for publication check out other Library guidance - citation guidelines and getting published. Beware of predatory publishers.