Finding Types of Research

Find Systematic Reviews

A systematic review is a type of research study where the researcher picks the topic of interest that they want to search for information about in the literature, predetermines what are the inclusion/exclusion criteria for the types of articles they are going to look at, and then analyzes those findings to draw conclusions about their question of interest.

The video below provides an overview on systematic reviews and how to find them using various sources.

Watch the Systematic Reviews and Where to Find Them video

When searching, you can narrow your search to systematic reviews only by adding a search term of "systematic review" to your search statement.

Example: "environmental pollution” AND “systematic review”

There are also specific databases you can use to find systematic reviews. The next section of this guide highlights databases that provide systematic reviews or filters that can help you narrow your search results to systematic reviews.

Limit to Systematic Reviews

PubMed: Systematic Review Filter

To find systematic reviews in PubMed, follow the steps below.

  1. Go to the database using the link above.
  2. Enter your keyword(s) into the search box.
  3. Select Search.
  4. Select Systematic Review from the Article Type section under the my NCBI Filters section on the left-hand side of the page. The image below shows the results of a search for autism spectrum disorder and indicates the Systematic Review filter under the My NCBI Filters.

Cochrane Library: Cochrane Reviews

The Cochrane Library includes the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, which makes it a great place to search for systematic reviews on your topic. To search for these systematic reviews, follow the steps below.

  1. Log into the database using the link above.
  2. Enter your keyword(s) for your topic of interest into the search box in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
  3. Select the magnifying glass icon next to the search box to run your search.
  4. The results of your search are presented in different tabs under the search box. Select the Cochrane Reviews tab to find all the systematic reviews in the database related to your topic. The image below shows an example search for heart disease and highlights the Cochrane Reviews tab.  

CINAHL and Medline: Systematic Review Filter

To find systematic reviews in CINAHL or Medline, follow the steps below.

  1. Select one of the database links above to open the Advanced Search page.
  2. Enter your keyword(s) into the search boxes. 
  3. Move down to the Limit Your Results section. This is where you can add filters to your search to tell the database that you only want articles that fit specific criteria. 
  4. Select Systematic Review from the Publication Type menu, as shown in the image below.

Trip Pro: Systematic Reviews Filter

To find systematic reviews in TripPro on your topic, follow the steps below.

  1. Log into the database using the link above.
  2. Enter your keywords for your topic in the search box.
  3. Select the magnifying glass next to the search box to run your search.  
  4. Select Systematic Reviews under the Filter Results section on the left-hand side of the search results. The image below shows the results of a search for heart disease and highlights the Systematic Reviews filter.

Joanna Briggs Institute: Systematic Review Filter

To find systematic reviews in Joanna Briggs Institute on your topic, follow the steps below.

  1. Go to the database using the link above.
  2. Enter your search term(s) into the search boxes at the top of the page.
  3. Select Search.
  4. Once you have results for your search, select Systematic Review under Publication Type in the Filter Results section on the left-hand side of the page. The image below show the results of a search for heart disease and highlights the Systematic Review filter.

Find a Meta-Analysis

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are often conducted together, with the latter analyzing statistical data from the articles selected for the systematic review to provide a statistical conclusion.

You can narrow your search to meta-analyses only by adding a search term of meta-analysis to your search statement.

Example:

"environmental pollution” AND “meta-analysis”

In addition, there are also filters in specific databases that allow you to limit your search results to meta-analysis studies only. In the next section of this guide, you will find information on using these databases to find meta-analyses.

Use Database Meta-Analysis Filters

PubMed: Meta-Analysis Filter

To find a meta-analysis in PubMed, follow the steps below.

  1. Go to the database using the link above.
  2. Enter your keyword(s) into the search box.
  3. Select Search.
  4. Select Meta-Analysis from the Article Type section under the My NCBI Filters section on the left-hand side of the page. The image below shows the results of a search for autism spectrum disorder and indicates the Meta-Analysis filter under the My NCBI Filters. 

CINAHL or Medline: Meta-Analysis Filter

To find meta-analyses in CINAHL or Medline, follow the steps below.

  1. Select one of the database links above to open the Advanced Search page.
  2. Enter your keyword(s) into the search boxes. 
  3. Move down to the Limit Your Results section. This is where you can add filters to your search to tell the database that you only want articles that fit specific criteria.
  4. Select Meta Analysis from the Publication Type menu, as shown in the image below.

Review Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Examples

Systematic Review

Meta-Analysis