michigan informatics
What are Reviews?
Systematic Review
A systematic review is an overview of primary studies that uses explicit and reproducible methods. [1] Systematic reviews...
... assemble, critically appraise, and synthesis the results of primary investigations addressing a specific topic or problem
... are prepared using strategies that limit bias and random error
... can help ground decisions in research evidence, although they neither make decisions nor obviate the need for sound reasoning [2]
Meta-Analysis
A meta-analysis (or quantitative systematic review) is a mathematical synthesis of the results of two or more primary studies that addressed the same hypothesis in the same way. [1]
Narrative Review
A narrative review (or journalistic review or general review article) is an overview of primary studies which present conclusions that integrate both study results and personal opinion. Articles included in the review are not gathered in an explicit, exhaustive, and reproducible manner and the appraisal of the research methodology may not be particularly rigorous.
Differences between systematic and narrative reviews [2]
| Feature | Narrative Review | Systematic Review |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Often broad in scope | Often a focused clinical question |
| Sources and Search | Not usually specified, potentially biased | Comprehensive sources and explicit search strategy |
| Selection | Not usually specified, potentially biased | Criterion-based selection, uniformly applied |
| Appraisal | Variable | Rigorous critical appraisal |
| Synthesis | Often a qualitative summary | Quantitative summary* |
| Inferences | Sometimes evidence-based | Usually evidence-based |
| *A quantitative summary that includes a statistical synthesis is a meta-analysis | ||
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