Most budding researchers are confused between systematic review vs. literature review. As a PhD student or early career researcher, you must by now be well versed with the fact that literature review is the most important aspect of any scientific research, without which a study cannot be commenced. However, literature review is in itself an ‘umbrella term’, and there are several types of reviews, such as systematic literature reviews, that you may need to perform during your academic publishing journey, based upon their specific relevance to each study.
Your research goal, approach, and design will finally influence your choice of systematic review vs literature review. Apart from systematic literature review, some other common types of literature review are1:
- Narrative literature review – used to identify gaps in the existing knowledge base
- Scoping literature review – used to identify the scope of a particular study
- Integrative literature review – used to generate secondary data that upon integration can be used to define new frameworks and perspectives
- Theoretical literature review – used to pool all kinds of theories associated with a particular concept
The most commonly used form of review, however, is the systematic literature review. Compared to the other types of literature reviews described above, this one requires a more rigorous and well-defined approach. The systematic literature review can be divided into two main categories: meta-analysis and meta-synthesis. Meta-analysis is related to identifying patterns and relationships within the data, by using statistical procedures. Meta-synthesis on the other hand, is concerned with integrating findings of multiple qualitative research studies, not necessarily needing statistical procedures.
Difference between systematic review and literature review
In spite of having this basic understanding, however, there might still be a lot of confusion when it comes to finalizing between a systematic review vs literature review of any other kind. Since these two types of reviews serve a similar purpose, they are often used interchangeably and the difference between systematic review and literature review is overlooked. In order to ease this confusion and smoothen the process of decision-making it is essential to have a closer look at a systematic review vs. literature review and the differences between them2.3:
| Systematic Literature Review | Literature Review | |
| Goal | Provides answers to a focused question, most often a clinical question | Provides a general overview regarding any particular topic or concept
|
| Methodology | Pre-specified methods, may or may not include statistical analysis, but methods are usually reproducible. The results and conclusion are usually evidence-based.
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Methods are not as rigorous, do not have inclusion and exclusion criteria and may follow a thematic approach. The conclusions may be subjective and qualitative, based upon the individual author’s perspective of the data.
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| Content
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The main components of the systematic literature review include:
Prespecified criteria, search strategy, assessment of the validity of the findings, interpretation and presentation of the results, and references.
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The main components of this review include:
Introduction, methods, discussion, conclusion, and references. |
| Author limit
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Three or more | One or more |
| Value | Valuable for clinicians, experts, and practitioners who are looking for evidence-based data.
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Valuable for a broader group of researchers and scientists who are looking to summarize and understand a particular topic in depth
|
Tips to keep in mind when performing a literature review
While the above illustrated similarities and differences between systematic review and literature review might be helpful as an overview, here are some additional pointers that you can keep in mind while performing a review for your research study4:
- Check the authenticity of the source thoroughly while using an article in your review.
- Regardless of the type of review that you intend to perform, it is important to ensure that the landmark literature, the one that first spoke about your topic of interest, is given prominence in your review. These can be identified with a simple Google Scholar search and checking the most cited articles.
- Make sure to include all the latest literature that focuses on your research question.
- Avoid including irrelevant data by revisiting your aims, objectives, and research questions as often as possible during the review process.
- If you intend to submit your review in any peer-reviewed journal, make sure to have a defined structure based upon your selected type of review.
- If it is a systematic literature review, make sure that the research question is clear and crisp and framed in a manner that is subjected to quantitative analysis.
- If it is a literature review of any other kind, make sure that you include enough checkpoints to minimize biases in your conclusions. You can use an integrative approach to show how different data points fit together, however, it is also essential to mention and describe data that doesn’t fit together in order to produce a balanced review. This can also help identify gaps and pave the way for designing future studies on the topic.
We hope that the above article was helpful for you in understanding the basics of literature review and to know the use of systemic review vs. literature review.
FAQs
Q: When to do a systematic review?
A systematic review is conducted to synthesize and analyze existing research on a specific question. It’s valuable when a comprehensive assessment of available evidence is required to answer a well-defined research question. Systematic reviews follow a predefined protocol, rigorous methodology, and aim to minimize bias. They’re especially useful for informing evidence-based decisions in healthcare and policy-making.
Q: When to do a literature review?
A literature review surveys existing literature on a topic, providing an overview of key concepts and findings. It’s conducted when exploring a subject, identifying gaps, and contextualizing research. Literature reviews are valuable at the beginning of a study to establish the research landscape and justify the need for new research.
Q: What is the difference between a literature review and a scoping review?
A literature review summarizes existing research on a topic, while a scoping review maps the literature to identify research gaps and areas for further investigation. While both assess existing literature, a scoping review tends to have broader inclusion criteria and aims to provide an overview of the available research, helping researchers understand the breadth of a topic before narrowing down a research question.
Q: What’ is the difference between systematic Literature Review and Meta Analysis?
A systematic literature review aims to comprehensively identify, select, and analyze all relevant studies on a specific research question using a rigorous methodology. It summarizes findings qualitatively. On the other hand, a meta-analysis is a statistical technique applied within a systematic review. It involves pooling and analyzing quantitative data from multiple studies to provide a more precise estimate of an effect size. In essence, a meta-analysis is a quantitative synthesis that goes beyond the qualitative summary of a systematic literature review.
References:
- Types of Literature Review – Business Research Methodology. https://research-methodology.net/research-methodology/types-literature-review/
- Mellor, L. The difference between a systematic review and a literature review. Covidence. https://www.covidence.org/blog/the-difference-between-a-systematic-review-and-a-literature-review \
- Basu, G. SJSU Research Guides – Literature Review vs Systematic Review. https://libguides.sjsu.edu/LitRevVSSysRev/definitions
- Jansen, D., Phair, D. Writing A Literature Review: 7 Common (And Costly) Mistakes To Avoid. Grad Coach, June 2021. https://gradcoach.com/literature-review-mistakes/
