LibGuides: Systematic Review Service: Types of Reviews

Which Review is Right for You?

While systematic reviews are the most well-known of review types, they may not be best suited for your research.

(Try Tool 1 or Tool 2 to help you decide)

Developing a comprehensive and exhaustive search strategy with the help of a Librarian is strongly recommended except for narrative/literature reviews.

Type of Review	Time to Complete
Narrative/Literature	<2 months
Scoping	<2 months
Umbrella	<2 months
Rapid	2-6 months
Integrative	2-10 months
Systematic	10-18 months
Meta-Analysis	10-18 months

Additional Resources

Grant, Maria J, and Booth, Andrew. "A Typology of Reviews: An Analysis of 14 Review Types and Associated Methodologies." Health Information and Libraries Journal 26.2 (2009): 91-108.
Munn, Zachary, Stern, Cindy, Aromataris, Edoardo, Lockwood, Craig, and Jordan, Zoe. "What Kind of Systematic Review Should I Conduct? A Proposed Typology and Guidance for Systematic Reviewers in the Medical and Health Sciences." BMC Medical Research Metho