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Systematic Reviews

Before you start

What is a protocol?

A systematic review protocol describes the rationale, hypothesis, and planned methods of the review. It should be prepared before a review is started and used as a guide to carry out the review.

The benefits of having a protocol before the beginning of a review:

  • relate to the validity and merit of a research process that reduces risk of bias
  • promotes a systematic rather than ad hoc approach to the review process
  • facilitates communication with others and promotes consistency between review team members 

It is recommended that you register your systematic review protocol prior to conducting your review. This will improve transparency and reproducibility, and will also ensure that other research teams do not duplicate efforts. If you are working with the Cochrane or Campbell Collaborations, you will publish your protocol with those organizations.

Cochrane Protocols and MECIR

For those wanting to publish through Cochrane, please see information on Cochrane Protocols. For those who need help developing protocols that adhere to Cochrane's standards please see Cochrane's Handbook of Systematic Review Interventions' information on Protocol Development.

Those wanting to develop Cochrane protocols should also utilize the Methodological Expectations of Cochrane Intervention Reviews (MECIR) (p. 22-30) Standards. MECIR Standards present a guide to the conduct and reporting of Cochrane Intervention Reviews.

According to Cochrane, a protocol should identify:

  • Background and Objectives
    • The context of the population or phenomenon. There is a pre-existing body of literature that should be used to examine why this review is important. 
      • The Objectives section should succinctly identify the research question. 
  • Inclusion/exclusion criteria
    • This section identifies the study's scope including types of studies, participants' characteristics, and the pre-identified interventions being examined. Identify what will disqualify a study from being used in the review. 
  • Search methods
    • What are the sources of information? This section will tentatively layout the intended search terms and databases or other information resources to be used. 
  • Data Collection and Analysis
    • This is the information in studies used for analysis and the methods for obtaining the information. Criteria for bias assessment should be listed as well as technical information regarding statistical methods used for analysis and combining study results. 
  • Other Information
    • This includes information such as declaration of interests, author acknowledgements and contributions, and support or funding resources. 

PRISMA

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. The aim of the PRISMA Statement is to help authors improve the reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. PRISMA can also be used as a basis for reporting systematic reviews of various types of research, particularly evaluations of interventions. 

For Systematic Reviews to adhere to PRISMA'S standards, a protocol must be developed. Please see PRISMA'S rationale for protocols. Learn how to develop a protocol with PRISMA'S resources. 

Video Tutorials on PRISMA