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Evidence Synthesis Methodologies in the Health Sciences

Rerunning Your Searches

Because evidence syntheses take so long to complete, and there will be a substantial gap between the original searches and publication, best practice is to run a final search of the literature to check for new references that meet your inclusion criteria. The most thorough way to do this it to run the exact original searches again, then deduplicate against your original set of results.

If you're using Covidence, you can upload the new results and Covidence will automatically deduplicate, leaving you with only the new results to screen.

If using PRISMA to report your work, all results, whether from the original search or final updates, are reported together. "In the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram, report the total number of items retrieved per database across the lifespan of the systematic review searching process" (Rethlefsen & Page, 2022).

Reporting Standards

When reporting the results of an evidence synthesis, it is essential to refer back to the methodological guide for your type of review and follow its requirements. We provide information here about PRISMA, as it is the most common reporting standard used for evidence syntheses, including systematic reviews. 

Reporting Using PRISMA

The PRISMA Statement

The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 Statement and its extensions comprise the most commonly used reporting standards for evidence syntheses.

The PRISMA Flow Diagram

The PRISMA flow diagram depicts the flow of information through the different phases of a systematic review. It maps out the number of records identified, included and excluded, and the reasons for exclusions. If you're using Covidence, it will generate a downloadable flow diagram as you screen. Alternatively, you can create your own using the Word document templates or ShinyApp linked below.

PRISMA-S

PRISMA-S, also called PRISMA-Search or PRISMA for Searching, is the reporting standard for search methodology. It has its own checklist and requires reporting of all search strategies in full.

Places to Publish

If you plan to publish your evidence synthesis, these resources may help you to identify potential target journals.

To browse or search for journals by name or topic:

Enter your title and abstract for suggestions of journals to target:

Search these library databases for your topic, then use the "Analyze Results" tools to see where articles on that topic are being published:

To look at metrics for potential journals (such as their research impact):

Regardless of where you search for possible journals in which to publish, consider:

Is a journal open access, and if so, does Brown have a agreement with the publisher? Brown University has agreements with a number of publishers to waive or reduce open access publishing fees. Learn more open access, these agreements, and author rights:

Is the journal potentially from a predatory publisher? Our guide to Understanding Unethical Publishing Practices is a great place to look for information on this issue.