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How to Find and Conduct Systematic Reviews

Step-by-step instructions on how to find and conduct systematic reviews, intended for students in the health sciences.

TO DO LIST

1. Make a list of all the subjects, fields, and disciplines that may contribute information about your topic.

  • Example:
    • Health Sciences
      • Medicine
      • Nursing
    • Psychology
    • Education

2. Identify the databases associated with the subjects, fields, and disciplines on your list. For a systematic review, you should be as comprehensive as possible, but depending on your time constraints, you may choose to use only the top databases in each subject, field, or discipline.

  • Tip #1: FIU's librarians have already classified the FIU Libraries' databases by subject for you. Use the "Subjects Resources" page to choose your field(s) then browse databases by subject. Many fields will have LibGuides with detailed information on the associated top databases. If yours does not, switch to the "Databases" tab to see the databases labeled "Best Bets" for that field.
  • Tip #2: the FIU Libraries have subject specialists, librarians with expertise in the research conducted and databases used in certain areas. There is a subject librarian for every field studied at FIU. If you have questions about which databases are right for your topic, find and contact your subject librarian.
  • Tip #3: in Step 1, you already looked for existing literature on your topic to see what has already been done. Go back to the articles you found now. Are there any systematic reviews on your topic (or a related one)? If so, see which databases the authors used - you might want to use those as well.
  • Example (Top Databases Only):
    • Health Sciences
      • Medicine
        • PubMed/MEDLINE
        • Embase
      • Nursing
        • CINAHL
    • Psychology
      • PsycINFO
    • Education
      • ERIC

Next - Step 5: Find Your Subjects