Formulating a question for systematic review Systematic Review

Formulating a question for systematic review Systematic Review Question formulation process • A systematic review is a literature review focused on a single question which tries to identify, appraise, select and synthesize research evidence relevant to that question. • The question addressed is usually evidence of an effectiveness of an intervention. This can inform policy, or, if insufficient evidence is available, will identify a knowledge gap and indicate areas where original research is needed. A systematic review question is composed of the following elements: Subject: unit of study (e. g. , ecosystem, habitat, species, environmental standard) to which the intervention will be applied Intervention: management regime, policy, or action Outcome measure: all relevant objectives of the intervention that can be reliably measured. Measurements of change in the subject Comparator: a control with no intervention, an alternative intervention or Before After Control Impact (BACI) studies After the question: Once a question has been decided the next step is to set out how the review will be carried out by writing a protocol. For further Information on question setting and conducting systematic reviews can be found at the Centre for Evidence Based Conservation (CEBC) at www. cebc. bangor. ac. uk. To read and find out more about completed systematic reviews visit the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence (CEE) at www. environmentalevidence. org