Literature and systematic reviews

The Library supports researchers completing different types of reviews. We are here to help, whether you're starting your first review, need a refresher or expert advice.

Step 1: Which type of review?

The first step is to work out what type of review you need to complete.

Systematic or literature review? View

Consider	Literature review	Systematic reviews
Time to complete	Up to 6 months or longer to complete. The timeframe is more flexible and may be determined by the researcher.	Are resource intensive and can take up to 18 months to complete. Other systematic options covered in our guide include scoping, rapid and umbrella reviews.
Research question	Explores a broad or emerging topic or can be focussed.	Have a clearly defined research question.
Process or rigour involved	Flexible structure, identifies key ideas, may highlight research gaps.	Transparent, rigorous, reproducible process.
Research included	Authors include any research they think is appropriate.	Aim to include all published and unpublished (where relevant) studies on the research topic.

Literature reviews View

Systematic and other comprehensive reviews View

The Library supports researchers working on a systematic review. Our easy-to-follow systematic review guide steps you through the systematic search process. Our guide is designed for all researchers, whether you're just starting out or need a refresher. We also offer regular workshops and expert support.

A systematic review is a type of literature review. It is an established research methodology. It has clearly defined methods of data collection, analysis and reporting.

Our systematic review guide covers other rigorous review types that follow the same systematic search process. Just choose the review type that’s right for your project:

Consider	Systematic reviews	Scoping reviews	Rapid reviews	Umbrella reviews
Timeframe	12-18 months.	6-12 months.	Up to 6 months.	6-12 months.
Benefits	Unbiased, rigorous and reproducible. All relevant evidence is reviewed.	Can explore a wide range of evidence, identify key concepts and map existing knowledge. Can highlight knowledge gaps.	Quicker than other systematic reviews. This is usually done by narrowing the question, using existing syntheses and having experienced team members.	An overview of other published systematic reviews on your topic.
Question type	Best suited to focused research questions.	A broader topic or research question.	Best suited to focused research questions.	Usually a broader research question.
Example question	Does intervention X improve outcome Y in population Z?	What research has been published on digital health interventions for older adults?	What is the effectiveness of sustainable health care interventions?	What are the evidence-based strategies for supporting students significantly behind in literacy and numeracy?

Explore our easy-to-follow Systematic review guide.

Still not sure which type of review?

Start by looking at reviews on similar topics in your discipline and consider the review methods they used. Discuss your options with your supervisor or subject experts in your faculty as your first point of contact. They also provide advice on:

methodologies
screening decisions
critical appraisal
data extraction
data synthesis.

Step 2: Explore our easy-to-follow guides

Step 3: Book a workshop

Workshops for researchers

Explore workshops designed to build or refresh your skills and support your research.

Book a workshop

Student using laptop at Caulfield Library

Need further help?

Have you read a guide, attended a workshop but still need help? Graduate research students and researchers can book a one-to-one online meeting with a librarian.

Our librarians can help you prepare for a systematic review. Our advice assists in the early stages of a review and designing a high-quality search strategy.

Get one-to-one support

If you've started your review and need help, the Library provides expert support to help with:

search strategy development
search documentation
database searching
importing search results into EndNote and Covidence.

Book one-to-one online support

Librarian helping researcher at one on one appointment

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