LibGuides: Topic: Systematic Searching for Evidence Synthesis: Learn More about Evidence Synthesis

Learn More about Evidence Syntheses

There are many varieties of review articles and evidence syntheses beyond systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The following two articles can be very helpful in illuminating the many different types of reviews. You may also want to look at the flow chart from Cornell University Library and the Right Review tool to help you select a review type.

A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies
Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
Meeting the review family: exploring review types and associated information retrieval requirements
Sutton, A., Clowes, M., Preston, L., & Booth, A. (2019). Meeting the review family: Exploring review types and associated information retrieval requirements. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 36(3), 202–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12276
What type of review is right for you?
A helpful flow chart from Cornell University Library to help you choose from various types of reviews.
Right Review
A tool designed to assist users with selecting which of the 41 included quantitative or qualitative knowledge synthesis would be appropriate for their research question through a set of simple questions.

Librarians at UConn Health have put together an excellent guide to Systematic Reviews, Meta-Analyses, & Evidence Syntheses. There are many types of evidence syntheses beyond systematic reviews and meta-analyses, all of which have different purposes and expectations. Regardless of the type you choose, searching in databases like PubMed or Scopus is only part of what is expected when reviewing the literature. I recommend consulting this research guide for more information.

The UConn Health systematic review service is for UConn Health students, faculty, and staff only, but their research guide is still extremely informative. Consult your UConn Library subject specialist if you have questions when developing your evidence synthesis project.