Literature Review Guide

A narrative literature review is one which covers a broad scope, and does not use a standardized methodology or protocal. It is an extensive search, but the search can be redefined during the research process. It is designed to provide a comprehensive background on a subject.

A rapid review is a type of systematic review, but on a shorter timeline. It still uses systematic review methodologies, but takes some shortcuts, that potentially might introduce bias. This type of review is most useful when addressing an urgent issue.

A scoping review systematically collects evidence in a transparent way. It then seeks to categorize the evidence into topics or research questions. The purpose is to identify research gaps and opportunities for evidence synthesis. The difference between a scoping and systematic review is that a scoping review does not seek to synthesize results.

An umbrella review is a review of other systematic reviews on a specific topic. An umbrella review is most helpful when there are competing interventions to consider.

A systematic review is a comprehensive and methodological literature review on a well defined research question. It aims to identify and synthesize all of the research on a topic - both published and unpublished. The aim of a systematic review is to conduct it in a unbiased and replicable way to provide evidence for pratice and policy-making. Systematic reviews are time-intensive and require a team to conduct.

A meta-analysis may be a part of a systematic review, or conducted independantly. It is a statistical technique used to combine results from disparate quantitative studies.