Developing a well-formulated research question is key for a successful review. You should have a draft research question before you choose the type of knowledge synthesis that you will conduct, as the type of answers you are looking for will help guide your choice of knowledge synthesis.
A systematic review question generally assesses an intervention's potential through the strength of evidence available. It may compare two interventions.
A scoping review question is usually more general and open-ended to bring together a broader look at all of the research on a topic - they do not seek to gauge the effectiveness of an intervention. Their questions often seek a greater understanding of a topic, identify the scope of a problem, and identify gaps in the research.
| Systematic Review Question | Scoping Review Question |
|---|---|
| "What is effectiveness of resistance exercise in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis on joint pain as compared to no intervention?" | "What interventions are used to reduce joint pain in adults with knee osteoarthritis?" |
Use a framework to help you define the components of your question.
For the major categories of medical/health questions, there are several models or frameworks designed to assist researchers in developing their concepts.
Depending on the subject matter of your research, you may need to utilize a a different framework. There are some links below to review other frameworks.
To construct a PICO for your question, you need to extract the relevant details from your question.
Example:
I want to examine how video games can help in stroke recovery. By using the PICO framework, I can develop each of my concepts and create a specific and researchable question.
Possible research question: How effective is video game-based balance rehabilitation as an adjunctive therapy to conventional rehabilitation in stroke patients over the age of 65?
Once you have decided on a research question, it’s important to run a preliminary search to find out if a review has been done on your topic, and if it has, to determine whether if an update to the existing review is needed / justified. This preliminary search will also identify if there is enough research to constitute performing your review.
In looking for existing reviews on your topic, here are some places to consider:
Titles and main points of systematic reviews registered with the international Joanna Briggs Institute.
Locates Systematic Reviews in the Medline database
Epistemonikos connects systematic reviews and their included studies, and thus allows clustering of systematic reviews based on the primary studies they have in common.
Full-text access to regularly updated systematic reviews by the Cochrane Collaboration. Includes completed systematic reviews and review protocols in development.
Systematic reviews related to the environment or conservation.
For information on conducting systematic reviews in the social sciences, consult the Campbell Collaboration.
Systematic reviews focused on health promotion, public health, education and social policy, and related areas.