Research Guides: Systematic and Scoping Reviews Search Methodology: Further Reading

Guidelines and Manuals

MECIR Standards
Methodological Expectations for Cochrane Intervention Reviews - introduced 2016. Update to information in the Cochrane Handbook.
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
Cochrane Training online modules
Systematic Reviews: CRD's Guidance for Undertaking Reviews in Health Care
Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's Manual: Methodology for Scoping Reviews
PRISMA
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Includes PRISMA-P for developing review protocols.
How to Review the Evidence: Systematic Identification and Review of the Scientific Literature
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia
Standards for Systematic Reviews
Health and Medicine Division, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (formerly Institute of Medicine)
SCIE Systematic Research Reviews: Guidelines
2nd edition. Social Care Institute for Excellence. Free registration required to download
PRESS: Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies
From CADTH (Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health). See p. 40 of the PDF for checklists.
How to Convert an Ovid Medline search to Pubmed
From University of Texas School of Public Health Library
Rapid Review Guidebook
From the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools

Evaluating Systematic Reviews

Not all systematic reviews are high quality. When reading a systematic review, look at the search strategy; is it missing important concepts? Do the reviewers address the quality of the articles they discuss?

The resources below may be helpful when evaluating systematic reviews.

SIGN Critical Appraisal
To evaluate a systematic review's methodology, use these checklists from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network.
Centre for Evidence Based Medicine (Oxford)
Use this appraisal worksheet to assess a review's results and methodology.
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (Toronto)
Clinicians looking to incorporate systematic reviews into their practice may benefit from this tool.
AMSTAR Checklist
Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews(AMSTAR)

Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE)
The collection of reviews of reviews provides critical assessments of systematic reviews. It was produced by the UK National Health Services' Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (NHS CRD) between 1994 and March 2015.

Methodology checklist: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
For a more in-depth guide to evaluating systematic reviews and other studies, turn to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Guidelines Manual.
PRESS: Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies
From CADTH (Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health). See p. 40 of the PDF for checklists.

Other References

Pai, M et al Systematic reviews of diagnostic test evaluations: what's behind the scenes?
HTAi Vortal
The HTAi vortal (*) is a product of the HTAi Interest Group on Information Retrieval (IRG). It aims at organising at one place information of interest about Health Technology Assessment (HTA). The HTAi vortal is composed of four sections and a bibliography.
Summarized Research in Information Retrieval for HTA
The HTAi Interest Group on Information Retrieval (IRG) of HTAi is an Interest Sub-Group for individuals who provide the information resources, conduct research, and develop information management issues that support HTA decision making.

Members of the IRG are staff members of HTA organizations, government departments and agencies, for profit and not for profit firms, consultants and experts, and all those who use, provide, or otherwise support HTA information needs.

Among its activities, the group develops and maintains the HTAi Vortal.

[Read more on the HTAi website]
EPPI-Centre Methods References
Managing the process using Excel
From University of Texas School of Public Health