Assemble a knowledge synthesis team consisting of a content expert and a minimum of two reviewers to reduce bias.
Establish a timeline so that all team members understand the time commitment, as knowledge syntheses can take a significant amount of time (often over a year).
Includes a discussion of the human resources needed to conduct a JBI review.
2. Formulate the research question, choose a review type, and develop eligibility criteria
Formulate a clearly defined research question that has not been answered by an existing, current review.
You should have a draft research question before you choose the type of knowledge synthesis that you will conduct, as the type of research question you are asking should guide your choice of knowledge synthesis type.
Eligibility (also known as inclusion) criteria define the characteristics of studies and publications to be included in the review. It is sometimes also necessary, for clarity, to define exclusion criteria that describe characteristics that included studies and publications should not have.
Register systematic reviews (including animal studies) for which there is a human health-related outcome. PROSPERO does not accept scoping review protocols.
Searching School (video playlist)
A YouTube playlist that describes how to create a search strategy appropriate to a knowledge synthesis from beginning to end. Created by Carrie Price, a respected medical librarian and expert searcher.
Describes in detail the best practices for creating a comprehensive search strategy for a systematic review. Although the Cochrane Handbook focuses on systematic reviews of interventions, this chapter provides guidance applicable to all kinds of knowledge syntheses.
A database of search filters (also known as hedges). Search filters are search strategies that have been pre-developed to search for a specific concept in a specific database. They are extensively tested; some are validated against a gold standard set of articles. Any search filters used in a search strategy need to be cited.
A cloud-based review management software that facilitates the collaborative completion of knowledge syntheses. U of G Covidence accounts provide unlimited reviews, collaborator accounts, and customer support.
Describes how to do a meta-analysis for a systematic review of interventions. Note that meta-analysis may not be appropriate for all systematic reviews.
Describes how to do a network meta-analysis for a systematic review of interventions. Note that network meta-analysis may not be appropriate for all systematic reviews.
The GRADE Handbook gives guidance on rating the quality of an overall body of evidence.
8. Write the review
Write the review, being sure to follow all relevant reporting guidelines.
Resources for writing the review
PRISMA 2020 statement
The PRISMA statement provides reporting guidelines for systematic reviews.
PRISMA Extensions
The PRISMA extensions are guidelines for reporting aspects or different types of knowledge syntheses; they build on the PRISMA statement.
