Systematic Literature Review: The Complete Beginner’s Guide
Are you supposed to conduct a systematic literature review for your research and thesis, and not sure where to start? Do not lose hope. This guide will definitely clarify a lot of questions you may have. We have included clear steps, tips, and a list of highly useful tools to help you write your SLR with confidence.
What Is a Systematic Literature Review?
A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is a process of gathering, assessing and assimilating existing research works about a topic using a structured method.
A Brief History of Systematic Literature Review
The concept of systematic literature reviews started to gain momentum in the 1970s. It was mainly introduced as a strategy to minimise biased opinions in research synthesis within social sciences and healthcare. Today, its application has been expanded to numerous other disciplines.
What Is the Role of Systematic Literature Review in Academia?
Today, many researchers and scholars see systematic literature reviews as essential tools in academic and professional research because they:
Ensure research transparency:
Since there is a solid structure when you use systematic literature review methodology, you can expect the outcomes to be highly transparent as well as verifiable.
Promote unbiased analysis:
SLR uses predefined criteria along with comprehensive sources, which means they can totally do away with any kind of personal or selective bias. As a result, you will get a balanced grasp of existing theories.
Identify knowledge gaps:
By way of relying on systematic literature review software for structured analysis, you can easily identify areas where research is lacking and attain more clarity on where future studies should focus.
Support data-based decisions:
Using a systematic literature review, you can put a stable ground for research since is backed by credible data. As a researcher or professional, you can easily make data-backed decisions in your field.
Compiles existing knowledge:
The findings in an SLR are gathered from multiple studies. Therefore, there is consensus as to what is already known, what is being disagreed upon, and where agreements exist in a given field.
Raises the credibility of research:
Researchers deciding to incorporate systematic literature review examples into their work signal confidence because this method is often likened to their academic integrity and depth.
How To Write a Systematic Literature Review?
Although writing an SLR may seem quite challenging, given its predefined method, it is not that difficult if you follow the right strategy. Below are the key steps to help you write a systematic literature review effectively.
Set Research Question:
To start with, brainstorm a proper research question which has a solid focus and can be answered. Frameworks like PICO or SPIDER are ideal to guide you in this starting phase.
Plan Your Method:
Next, you need to have a plan or a protocol for your SLR, which clearly shows the objectives and criteria for data inclusion/exclusion. Including factors like databases, selection methods, and keywords would increase your protocol’s transparency.
Search All Sources:
Do a thorough, unbiased research using as many reliable databases as possible. Some frequently suggested databases include Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science. As for the search strategy, Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) are a powerful tool.
Choose Right Studies:
Make sure that you are using highly relevant and first-class primary research studies. You may use specific qualifying parameters to shortlist the most appropriate titles, abstracts, and full texts for your project.
Check Study Quality:
Verifying the study quality is of critical importance. Review the chosen studies carefully to assess factors like their validity, bias, and reliability using tools like Cochrane’s Risk of Bias, PRISMA or CASP.
Pull Out Data:
Using a standardised data extraction form, systematically gather key information such as the design of the study, outcome and population. This is especially important to keep the desired degree of consistency in the findings.
Combine Your Findings:
Combine all data you have gathered with the help of a narrative synthesis or meta-analysis, depending on your dataset’s nature. You should be able to spot any patterns, trends or gaps in the existing literature by doing so.
Write Your Review:
Next, clearly present the findings organised into sections. It should start with an introduction, and then proceed with methods, results, discussion, and conclusion, alongside citations and supporting evidence.
Use Proper Format:
Your systematic review must comply with academic standards and publication benchmarks. Therefore, aim to meet the correctness rigour of academic report headers like PRISMA or AMSTAR.
What Are the Major Tools and Software Used for Systematic Literature Review?
When it comes to drafting a systematic literature review, a number of tools and software applications are used for accuracy, unbiasedness and structured processes. For ease of application, they are broadly grouped into five categories as follows.
Reference Management Software
- EndNote: With EndNote, you can easily store references, build bibliographies, and drop in citations in Word. You don’t require spending time on paper-by-paper formatting.
- Zotero: A free web-based reference management tool, Zotero helps grab, sort, cite, and share sources instead of letting bookmarks pile up, plus it saves files directly from the browser.
- Mendeley: Mendeley acts like a virtual filing cabinet and social network; you can highlight PDFs, make instant citations, and invite classmates to comment on documents.
Database Search Tools
- PubMed: PubMed is a no-cost gateway from the NIH to millions of MEDLINE records and many other life science papers. It is a perfect tool for health-related projects.
- IEEE Xplore: Digital library packed with engineering, computer, and electronics articles straight from IEEE and IET, great for tech subjects.
- Web of Science: Wide-ranging index that tracks citations across top journals in multiple fields, handy for spotting trends and influential papers.
- Scopus: Huge collection of abstracts and citation data allows you to follow research topics, check authors' scores, and gauge journal reach.
- Google Scholar: Free search that pulls in papers, theses, books, conference posters, and even patents from across fields, so nothing important slips away.
Software for Systematic Literature Review
- Covidence: Makes the review process smooth by guiding teams through study screening, organizing data, and checking quality, all in one shared space.
- Rayyan: Free online tool that speeds up study selection with AI suggestions and color-coded tags, letting researchers include or drop papers fast.
- DistillerSR: This software automates nearly every part of a literature review, so teams can track changes, add notes, and prove what was done at every step.
Screening and Data Extraction Tools
- EPPI-Reviewer: EPPI-Reviewer is a holistic workspace that allows you to code, analyse as well as pull together data for your systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
- JBI SUMARI: It guides users through each phase of a review, from writing a protocol and rating studies to pulling out data and summarising findings.
- Giotto Compliance: Its smart AI runs compliance checks on regulatory reviews, making sure every piece of data is collected accurately and easy to trace.
- Nested Knowledge: Teams work in the same dashboard, tagging papers, screening studies, and dragging out structured data while colourful boards update live.
- LitStream: A cloud hub that organises the whole review process, pairing AI nudges with human screening, so nothing vital slips through.
Citation Analysis and Visualisation Tools
- VOSviewer: Builds eye-catching maps of citation data, showing who writes with whom and which keywords keep popping up in new studies.
- CiteSpace: Tracks shifts in the literature over time, laying out rising themes and key papers so researchers can spot future hotspots fast.
Why Hire Us for Writing Your Systematic Literature Review?
Professional Writing Services (PWS) is a reputed academic writing company with more than a decade of experience in systematic review services. With a highly efficient team of trained research writers, we are fully prepared to take care of any challenge in systematic literature review. Discover why you can confidently hire us for the project.
- Expert Research Writers: Our team is made up of sharp writers who have real science training and know their way around systematic reviews, so you get clear, reliable work every time.
- Structured Review Process: We stick to a clear, step-by-step plan-protocol setup, screening, data pull, and synthesis to keep the process open and in line with research rules.
- Reliable Source Selection: We dig through solid databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science so your literature review rests on peer-reviewed, trustworthy articles only.
- Accurate Data Extraction: Each writer is trained to pull out and sort data exactly, keeping the whole review steady and dependable for findings that other researchers can reproduce.
- Plagiarism-Free Content: We promise no copied text whatsoever, backed by our own checks and full citations, because we respect academic rules and your school's guidelines.
- Customised Writing Approach: Since every study has its own differences, we adjust tone, layout, and method to suit your specific needs and your institution's style guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Depending on how difficult the topic is, we usually complete a systematic literature review in 5 to 7 working days. At Professional Writing Services, we put high emphasis on the quality. The time we take justifies our quality-driven approach.
Absolutely, as long as they get the right help, training, and the tools they need. A lot of schools push students to do one SLR for dissertations or smaller research projects.
It’s not a strict rule. However, almost every journal and school strongly favours PRISMA because it makes the review clearer, better organised, and easier to reproduce.
A systematic literature review pulls together and explains mostly qualitative findings, whereas a meta-analysis applies statistical techniques to statistically analyse data from several studies.
Definitely. If you want to go over a sample SLR, you are most welcome to request one from us. Whether you need an automated systematic review or a manually curated one, we have high-quality examples in our database.
Mr. Sugathan is the founder of Professional Writing Services. He is an Army veteran who served the nation for more than two decades. During his tenure, he was involved in a lot of documentation and secretarial works. He has been drafting letters and documents on a daily basis.
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