The proposal stage is the most important step of a review project as it determines the feasibility of the review and its rationale.
The steps are:
1. Determining review question and review type.
- Right Review: free tool to assist in selecting best review type for a given question
- Trying to choose between a scoping or a systematic review? try this article- Munn, Z., Peters, M.D.J., Stern, C. et al. Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC Med Res Methodol 18, 143 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x
- Need to determine the framework for the research question?
- This article provides 10 different types of questions that systematic reviews can answer- Munn, Z., Stern, C., Aromataris, E. et al. What kind of systematic review should I conduct? A proposed typology and guidance for systematic reviewers in the medical and health sciences. BMC Med Res Methodol 18, 5 (2018).
- For scoping reviews, the framework is: Population, Concept, Context (see JBI Scoping Review guide)
2. Search for related reviews to proposed question. Places to search include:
- Prospero: database of protocols for systematic reviews, umbrella reviews, and rapid reviews with human health outcomes
- Open Science Framework: open access registry for any type of research, including scoping reviews and more
- Cochrane Collaboration Handbook: systematic reviews of clinical interventions
- Campbell Collaboration: accepts many types reviews across many disciplines: Business and Management, Crime and Justice, Disability, Education, International Development, Knowledge Translation and Implementation, Methods, Nutrition, and Social Welfare
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Collaboration for Environmental Evidence: reviews in environmental research
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Systematic Reviews for Animals & Food (SYREAF): protocols and reviews on animals and food science related to animals
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Also, consider searching subject related databases, adding a search concept "review"
3. Evaluate previous reviews for quality, as well as comparing their scope to the proposed review. The following tools can be used to
4. Further refine question by defining the eligibility criteria
- Eligibility criteria are the characteristics of the studies/research to be collected. Inclusion criteria are those characteristics a study must have to be include. Exclusion criteria are exceptions to the inclusion criteria.
5. Develop a preliminary search and find a few studies that match the eligibility criteria
- Consider working with a librarian to develop a search. The purpose is to estimate the number of citations to be sorted (giving some idea of the amount time it will take complete the review) and to find at least a few studies that match the criteria.
6. Summarize proposal: A written proposal helps in framing the project and getting feedback. It should include:
- A descriptive title of project, which includes the type of review
- A brief introduction
- A description of previous reviews and the rationale for the proposed review
- An appropriate framed question for the review
- The eligibility criteria