New HEDS Paper - Meeting the review family: exploring review types and associated information retrieval requirements

Health Information and
 Libraries Journal

HEDS colleagues, Anthea Sutton, Mark Clowes, Dr Louise Preston and Dr Andrew Booth have published a new review of search approaches for different types of review. Clowes said of the work: "The ever-expanding list of review types can be confusing for information specialists - how should we search for evidence? What sources do we need to include? In this article we categorise the major types of review into "families" with common features, and draw together the current available guidance in one place".

You can access the paper here: 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/hir.12276

Volume36, Issue3
September 2019
Pages 202-222

Abstract

Background and objectives

The last decade has witnessed increased recognition of the value of literature reviews for advancing understanding and decision making. This has been accompanied by an expansion in the range of methodological approaches and types of review. However, there remains uncertainty over definitions and search requirements beyond those for the ‘traditional’ systematic review. This study aims to characterise health related reviews by type and to provide recommendations on appropriate methods of information retrieval based on the available guidance.

Methods

A list of review types was generated from published typologies and categorised into ‘families’ based on their common features. Guidance on information retrieval for each review type was identified by searching pubmed, medline and Google Scholar, supplemented by scrutinising websites of review producing organisations.

Results

Forty‐eight review types were identified and categorised into seven families. Published guidance reveals increasing specification of methods for information retrieval; however, much of it remains generic with many review types lacking explicit requirements for the identification of evidence.

Conclusions

Defining review types and utilising appropriate search methods remain challenging. By familiarising themselves with a range of review methodologies and associated search methods, information specialists will be better equipped to select suitable approaches for future projects.