Systematic Review

A systematic review is a scholarly synthesis of evidence on a clearly defined topic, using critical methods to identify, define and assess research. It extracts and interprets data from published studies, analyzes and describes interpretations, and concludes with a refined evidence-based conclusion. Systematic reviews are considered the highest level of evidence in medical research and can be applied in various fields, including healthcare, public health, and public policy. They are closely related to meta-analyses, but while a meta-analysis uses statistical methods to induce a single number from pooled data, a systematic review excludes this step. Systematic reviews are designed to provide a thorough summary of current literature, use a rigorous and transparent approach, and assess and minimize bias in findings. They can use statistical techniques, such as meta-analysis, to combine results of eligible studies, and rating systems to evaluate the quality of evidence, although this is discouraged in some cases.learn more on wikipedia