It is common to confuse systematic and literature reviews as both are used to provide a summary of the existent literature or research on a specific topic. Even with this common ground, both types vary significantly. Please review the following chart (and its corresponding poster linked below) for the detailed explanation of each as well as the differences between each type of review.
| Systematic Review | Literature Review | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | High-level overview of primary research on a focused question that identifies, selects, synthesizes, and appraises all high quality research evidence relevant to that question | Qualitatively summarizes evidence on a topic using informal or subjective methods to collect and interpret studies |
| Goals | Answers a focused clinical question Eliminate bias |
Provide summary or overview of topic |
| Question | Clearly defined and answerable clinical question Recommend using PICO as a guide |
Can be a general topic or a specific question |
| Components | Pre-specified eligibility criteria Systematic search strategy Assessment of the validity of findings Interpretation and presentation of results Reference list |
Introduction Methods Discussion Conclusion Reference list |
| Number of Authors | Three or more | One or more |
| Timeline | Months to years Average eighteen months |
Weeks to months |
| Requirement | Thorough knowledge of topic Perform searches of all relevant databases Statistical analysis resources (for meta-analysis) |
Understanding of topic |
| Value | Connects practicing clinicians to high quality evidence Supports evidence-based practice |
Provides summary of literature on the topic |