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In a systematic review, the rationale may be looking at new methodologies, a research gap, or to inform practice.
Systematic reviews must have a highly refined research question which is clearly defined and narrowly focussed. Establishing a research question is best done by establishing a topic, researching it and finding a sub-theme, narrowing it down, and turning the narrow and focussed theme into a question. Topics can also refined by using SMART goals or a framework such as PICO.
‘What is the estimated effect of single-track YRE for math achievement and for reading achievement? What is the effect size (of math and reading achievement) for only low-income students and for only minority students? What is the relationship between characteristics of YRE (calendar structure, duration of the longest remaining break) and the effect size estimate?’ (Fitzpatrick & Burns, 2019, Research questions section).
Systematic reviews must include quality appraisal and a risk of bias assessment. These are often conducted using standard tools, which must be described. State who assessed the studies and how disputes were solved. Explain any system used to rank the studies. Any other potential source of bias needs to be explained as well as the relative risk and how this was resolved.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses will have additional sections on measures of the treatment effect, which examines the effect estimates and confidence intervals of included studies. Other typical sections in systematic reviews and meta-analyses may include assessments of heterogeneity, reporting bias, units of analysis, certainty assessments and missing data.
In the results section, systematic reviews also report on areas such as the risk of bias, results of syntheses and analyses, potential reporting biases, and certainty of evidence. This could be presented visually in a table, or in a narrative description. These elements need to be justified and any tools or statistical methods used explained.
A systematic review includes the limitations of the evidence and review process. For example, the studies found may have small sample sizes or a high risk of bias, or the authors may have only searched for English language material.
In a systematic review, these implications need to be included to explain to stakeholders what action they need to take based on the review findings.
In a systematic review, the study implications and recommendations are often included at the end of the discussion section and forms the conclusion. You may need to consult with stakeholders for this section.