Before you start your review, it's a good idea to make sure that a review doesn't already exist on your topic, or that a protocol hasn't already been registered. You might find that your subject has been covered, but needs updating. An exisiting review or protocol can also help you identify:
- What your you need to cover in your review or protocol
- Help you identify search terms you can use in your review. Systematic reviews and protocols should have documented the search terms they use.
Here are some places to check:
Healthcare Research
- Cochrane Library - includes Cochrane reviews and protocols
- JBI EBP Database - has limiters for Publication Type > Systematic Reviews and Systematic Review Protocols
- CINAHL Plus with Full Text (nursing and allied health) - has a limiter to Publication Type > Systematic Review
- OTseeker (occupational therapy) - has a limiter for Method > Systematic Review
- PEDro (physiotherapy) - has a limiter for Method > systematic review
- speechBITE (speech pathology) - has a limiter for Research Design > Systematic Review
- PDQ Evidence (health systems and population health)
- MEDLINE and PubMed - MEDLINE has various limiters around systematic reviews; PubMed has a limiter for Article Type > Systematic Review
- Trip - a clinical search engine from the UK which includes many systematic reviews.
Other disciplines
- VetSRev - free online database of systematic reviews in veterinary medicine and science (University of Nottingham)
- Campbell Collaboration - includes a database of systematic reviews related to education, criminal justice and social welfare
- EPPI Centre systematic reviews - on subjects such as education, health promotion, public health, social welfare, and international development.
- PsycINFO (psychology) has limiter for Methodology > Systematic Review (as an additional limiter after a search has been run).
