Systematic reviews, scoping reviews and other evidence syntheses

Reporting Guidelines: what are they?

• Every major study methodology, including systematic reviews, has a reporting guideline which includes:
  • Checklist
    • What should be included
      • The sections of a paper
      • The topics & elements to include in each section
  • Explanation & Elaboration (E&E)
    • The purpose of the element
    • Examples/best practice for describing the element

Why use a reporting guideline?

Reporting guidelines guide authors in communicating the results of research studies -- including evidence synthesis reviews -- clearly. Using reporting guidelines enhances transparency and reproducibility.

Reporting guidelines help resolve problems such as:

• Omitting important information from Methods sections e.g. participant eligibility criteria, outcome measures, intervention details
• Selective reporting: only reporting on positive findings or misinterpreting findings to make them sounds positive
• Inadequate reporting of study harms
• Replication issues: is search strategies are not properly reported in evidence syntheses, the search cannot be replicated

EQUATOR Network - Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research

• comprehensive collection of reporting guidelines & guideline extensions
  • Search for reporting guidelines:
    • Search by study type, clinical area, section of report, free text

PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

• PRISMA "is an evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses"
  • focuses on systematic reviews of randomized trials; can also be used for reporting systematic reviews of other types of research, particularly evaluations of interventions
• PRISMA includes:
  • PRISMA Explanation and Elaboration
  • PRISMA Checklist
  • PRISMA Flowchart
    • Guidance: PRISMA 2020 and PRISMA-S: Common questions on tracking records and the flow diagram

PRISMA Extensions

• There are many variations of the original PRISMA guideline; be sure to use the extension that supports the study designs included in your systematic review e.g.
  • PRISMA for Abstracts
  • PRISMA Equity
  • PRISMA Harms (for reviews including Harm outcomes)
  • PRISMA Individual Patient Data
  • PRISMA for Network Meta-Analyses
  • PRISMA for Protocols
  • PRISMA for Diagnostic Test Accuracy
  • PRISMA for Scoping Reviews

National Academy of Medicine: Standards for Reporting Systematic Reviews

• includes guidance on reporting, writing and publishing systematic reviews

MOOSE - reporting guideline for Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology

ROSES - RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses in environmental research

• includes guidance and checklists for reporting systematic map protocols and reports, systematic review protocols, and systematic reviews

Reference: Beyond PRISMA–Health Research Reporting Guidelines: Your new secret weapon! Helena M. VonVille, MLS, MPH. University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System.