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Systematic Reviews

Systematic Review Protocols

A systematic review protocol describes the rationale, hypothesis, and planned methods of the review. It should be prepared before a review is started and used as a guide to carry out the review. Detailed protocols should be made publicly and registered. (PRISMA, 2021).

The protocol registration falls into the first step of the systematic review process: Initiate Your Review.

Items listed below are typically included in a protocol. For a complete list, visit the PRISMA protocol checklist

  • Rationale and objectives
  • Eligibility criteria
  • Information Sources
  • Draft of a search strategy
  • Data management
  • Outcomes and prioritization
  • Data synthesis

PRISMA. (2021). What is a protocol? https://www.prisma-statement.org/protocols

Additional Resources

Page, M.J., Moher, D., Bossuyt, P.M., et al. (2021). PRISMA 2020 explanation and elaboration: Updated guidance and exemplars for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n160

PLoS Medicine Editors. (2011). Best practices in systematic reviews: The importance of protocols and registration. PLoS Medicine, 8(2), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001009

Scoping Review Protocols

Similar to the systematic review protocol, the scoping review protocol is the plan and/or methodology of your review. Develop your protocol at the beginning of the process. The JBI Reviewer's Manual (chapter 11.2), details what should be included in the protocol:

  1. An introduction detailing the definitions, overall objective, explanation of need, eligibility criteria, and the preliminary search
  2. Sample search literature search strategy
  3. Explanation of the search report
  4. Study selection process
  5. Draft of charting table/data extraction and explanation
  6. How results and data will be presented.

Review the JBI Reviewer's Manual for more information on scoping review protocols.

PRISMA Checklist for Scoping Reviews recommends that a scoping review protocol be developed and publicly available.

Additional Resources and Examples

Peters, M.D., Marnie, C., Colquhoun, H. (2021). Scoping reviews: Reinforcing and advancing the methodology and application. Systematic Reviews, 10(263), https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01821-3

Protocol Registrations through OSF

  • Project https://osf.io/pbe4u and files: https://osf.io/pbe4u/files/

  • Project https://osf.io/jt9p3 and corresponding file: https://osf.io/dgz9p/ 

Scoping Review Registries