Detailed Comparison: Systematic Review vs Literature Review

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If you're someone who frequently delves into the world of academic research, then you must be familiar with systematic review versus literature review. When it comes to decision-making about which study to undertake, published scientific studies are a gold mine of information. Although there is a significant difference between systematic reviews and traditional literature reviews, it is essential to comprehend the distinction. In this blog, we will explore these two forms of review and provide insight into their relevance in the scientific community. Our ultimate goal is to clarify the contrast between the two and help you select the most appropriate literature review tools and method for your study.

What Is Systematic Review?

The systematic review is a comprehensive and unbiased type of literature review that systematically searches, identifies, selects, appraises, and synthesizes research evidence relevant to the research question.

The systematic review process consists of several steps:

Protocol development

Study selection

Data extraction

Quality assessment.

This rigorous process aims to minimize bias and provide a transparent and reliable summary of existing evidence on a specific research topic.

How is a Systematic Review Different from a Literature Review?

A literature review is a general overview of existing knowledge on a specific research topic, which may or may not involve a systematic approach. In contrast, a systematic review is a specific type of literature review that follows a well-defined methodology to collect, evaluate, and synthesize evidence from multiple studies.

While a literature review aims to provide a broad understanding of a research area, a systematic review focuses on answering a specific research question by analyzing high-quality evidence. The systematic review process is more structured, rigorous, and transparent than a traditional literature review.

Literature Review Example

Literature Review Generator

Systematic Literature Review

Literature Review Outline Example

How To Write A Literature Review

Thematic Literature Review

How To Write An Abstract For A Literature Review

What Is Literature Review?

Literature reviews are a type of academic writing that synthesizes and analyzes existing research, theories, and concepts related to a specific topic. They evaluate the material instead of merely restating it. The methods utilized for literature reviews are not usually prespecified and are not detailed within the review. While the search might be comprehensive, it does not aim to be exhaustive. Literature reviews are also known as narrative reviews.

Systematic Review vs Literature Review Comparison

Not all reviews are created equal. There is a particular difference between a systematic review and a literature review, and the goals associated with them are different. Systematic reviews aim to eliminate biases and answer a focused clinical or research question. A systematic review involves a detailed protocol, often developed using the PICO framework, which includes pre-specified eligibility criteria and a systematic search strategy.

Eliminating Bias Through Comprehensive Study

The goal is to bring together the results of multiple studies to answer a specific question effectively eliminating biases. This process usually involves three or more people and can take months or even years to produce. In contrast, a literature review is a subjective summary of research and provides a summary or overview of a topic. It aims to bring together the results of multiple studies to answer a specific question effectively eliminating biases.

Summarizing Research for Informed Insights

This process usually involves three or more people and can take months or even years to produce. The search for literature reviews is thorough and covers published literature, and the review includes a detailed search strategy.

Systematic Review Components

Pre-specified eligibility criteria

Systematic search strategy

Assessment of the validity of findings

Interpretation and presentation of results

Reference list

Literature Review Components

Introduction

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion

Reference list

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When To Use Systematic Review vs Literature Review

Systematic Review

I would use a systematic review to answer a clinical question about the effectiveness of a particular treatment or treatments. Systematic reviews in clinical medicine often follow the PICO framework, which stands for:

Population (or patients)

Intervention

Comparison

Outcome

Literature Review

I would use a literature review to provide context. Literature reviews often form the introduction to a piece of writing, to provide the context. They can also be used to identify gaps in the literature and the need to fill them with new research.

What Are The Key Characteristics Of A Systematic Review vs Literature Review

Systematic reviews critically analyze multiple studies on a specific topic. These reviews follow pre-specified methods that are explicit and replicable. The review team evaluates the quality of the evidence to minimize bias and ensure accuracy. The results and conclusions of a systematic review are based solely on the evidence found in the selected studies. This format provides a reliable and evidence-based summary of the available information on a particular topic.

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Unriddle is a valuable tool that can significantly enhance your literature review writing process. This platform is designed to help you read faster and write better by simplifying complex topics, taking notes, and leveraging the power of AI to generate an assistant that can help you quickly find, summarize, and understand information.

Efficient Literature Review

Unriddle's AI capabilities can be particularly useful when conducting literature reviews. By understanding the meaning behind your writing, Unriddle can automatically link you to relevant sources that you have read and written about in the past. This feature can save you valuable time that would otherwise be spent searching for sources and citation

Seamless Citation Management

Unriddle allows you to highlight text within documents, prompting the platform to display the most relevant sources from your library using AI. This functionality ensures that you never lose a citation or reference again, streamlining the literature review process.

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Unriddle can assist with text generation through AI autocomplete suggestions that are contextually based on the content you are working on. By offering intelligent suggestions for improving and expanding your writing, Unriddle can help elevate the quality of your literature review

Collaborative Workspace: Unriddle's Platform for Teamwork

In terms of collaboration, Unriddle provides a shared workspace where multiple users can contribute and engage with the same documents in real-time. This feature fosters collaboration among researchers and students, making it easier to work together on literature reviews and other projects

Streamlining Literature Reviews

Unriddle is a powerful tool for anyone looking to streamline the literature review writing process. By leveraging AI capabilities, document highlighting, text generation, and collaboration features, Unriddle can help you read faster, write better, and produce more impactful literature reviews.

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