Systematic reviews have become a popular research approach, but many people misunderstand them. Sometimes well-meaning faculty will advise students or residents to complete a systematic review as an “easy” research project without fully understanding the methods and resources required. These misunderstandings often lead to the development of poorly done “systematic reviews” that lack the required systematic methods defined in an appropriate protocol, lack well-developed and well-documented search strategies, and fail to follow other methodological and reporting standards (PRISMA 2020 Checklist Items 1,4,6,7) that peer reviewers should look for when considering the manuscript for publication.
A systematic review is not a suitable project for a single student/resident with no prior experience in this methodology. It also is generally not an appropriate project for a single student and a single faculty advisor who is not an expert on systematic review methodology. Most health science graduate students have not had the appropriate experience or training to independently develop robust protocols and search strategies for systematic reviews. A lack of familiarity with appropriate methods for SR projects is very likely to lead to wasted time and unpublishable work. A systematic review is not an appropriate short-term project; systematic reviews can take an average of a year or more to complete.
We recommend that students instructed to do a systematic review without appropriate support share the above statement with their faculty. We are available for consultation on when and for whom a systematic review is an appropriate project. We can also recommend training courses for faculty who are interested in further participating in and engaging students in future systematic review research.
Identify one or more students or trainees to work with you
You may be eligible for a stats consultations from BSPH Biostats service
Take the coursera or other training: https://www.coursera.org/learn/systematic-review
Read the Types of Expert Reviews section of this guide to identify an alternative methodology that would be appropriate to the project, taking into consideration the timeframe and expertise of the project participants