In a nutshell, a systematic review is a secondary study from a collection of primary studies (original research) that pertain to a specific research question. Those primary studies have been analyzed, examined, appraised, and evaluated for the highest level of evidence and quality of methodology, in order to provide the best answer to a research question.
The methods and/or protocol of conducting a systematic review are clear, understandable, rigorous and transparent. In a systematic review, you should see:
Additional Definitions:
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Systematic reviews are often confused with review articles. This type of publication are often called narrative reviews or literature reviews.
Literature reviews (or narrative reviews or review articles) are valuable and help to build one's knowledge base on a topic. However, they are quite different from systematic reviews.
1. Akwan R, Elsharkawy MM, Zrineh A, Amleh A, Douden B, Alhouseini M, Alsaeed L, Eldesouki M. The effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on depressive symptoms and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. Aug 20 2025;doi:10.1007/s00228-025-03904-9
2. Chigurupati HD, Neppala S, Chikatimalla R, Fath A, Upreti P, Bolte J, Naveed MA, Rao A, Altaee O, Sattar Y, et al. Impact of diabetes mellitus type-2 on the outcomes following mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER): A meta-analysis. Am Heart J Plus. Sep 2025;57:100574. doi:10.1016/j.ahjo.2025.100574
3. Elbenawi H, Ayman Y, Hashim A, Agarwal S, Wagdy M, Hamed BM, Thakurathi P, Al-Shammari AS, Mohamed KA, Kalaiger AM, et al. Catheter Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: A Meta-Analysis With Reconstructed Time-to-Event and Trial Sequential Analysis. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. Sep 16 2025;doi:10.1111/jce.70075
4. Farkas E, Goldblatt A, Nehorayan I, Lefkowitz RB, Fleshner L, Tepper K, Marmon S. Topical estrogen for skin aging: A systematic review of safety and efficacy. J Am Acad Dermatol. Aug 23 2025;doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2025.08.050
5. Frontera NM, Ahsan MD, Chandler IR, Levi SR, Brewer JT, Weiss JM, Ma X, Jewell ST, Sharaf RN, Frey MK. Risk of melanoma among people with BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Gynecol Oncol. Sep 11 2025;201:223–234. doi:10.1016/j.ygyno.2025.08.030
6. Mousavi A, Shojaei S, Abhari AP, Mirhosseini SA, Ebrahimi R, Rajabi E, Farooqi MA, Azizpour A, Moghadam SA, Kuno T, et al. Intensive Blood Pressure Control in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cardiovascular and Microvascular Outcomes. Am J Hypertens. Jul 24 2025;doi:10.1093/ajh/hpaf140
7. Thapa S, Shah S, Dahal K, Salem A, Gupta A, Singh S, Sah S, Mehta R, Thapa A, Frishman WH, et al. Headache Outcomes After Treatment of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Clinical Implications. Cardiol Rev. Sep 10 2025;doi:10.1097/crd.0000000000001041
8. Udaikumar J, Nimmagadda R, Potluri V, Medarametla R, Garlapati S, Tummala N, Kuppili S, Goodman AJ, Marino D. Comparing Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) vs. Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in the Etiological Evaluation of Idiopathic Acute Pancreatitis (IAP): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Dig Dis Sci. Sep 27 2025;doi:10.1007/s10620-025-09408-x
9. Wang R, Karp A, Clare K, Nolan B, Spirollari E, Zeller S, Frid I, Gandhi CD, Kinon M, Tyagi R, et al. Gabapentinoids in ERAS Protocols For Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clin Spine Surg. Sep 1 2025;doi:10.1097/bsd.0000000000001877
10. Stonebraker C, Pein R, Valley ZA, Estes CM, Garber D. Demographics, Management, and Outcomes Associated With Idiopathic Vocal Fold Paralysis: A Systematic Review. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. Mar 7 2025;doi:10.1002/ohn.1195
NOTE: Linking to the Cochrane Databases and PubMed through the Health Sciences Library ensures that you have access to the full text of systematic reviews and articles when available.
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