What Does
Systematic Review Mean?
A systematic review is an in-depth study of a topic that investigates, synthesizes, and appraises relevant research based evidence in relation to a given question.
Safeopedia Explains Systematic Review
A systematic review begins with a focused research question. An investigation is then undertaken to collate all research material relevant to the question. Criteria are established as to which studies will be included in the review and which will be eliminated. The results of the included studies are then synthesized, interpreted, and applied to the question that the review is attempting to answer.
A systematic review is more rigorous and stringent than a non-systematic study. The entire process of a systematic review is more transparent than other reviews, following set criteria and outlining the review process in order to ensure the quality of included studies and allow others to replicate the review if they desired. With a non-systematic review there is no attempt to analyze the completeness of an included study or any author bias, therefore studies can vary widely in quality.
A systematic analysis is different to a meta analysis. A meta analysis combines different study results in order to find a common theme, effectively creating a new study out of the collection of relevant existing studies.