Back to: Prepare Your Systematic Review Topic

Now that you’ve done a quick scan of the literature, take a step back to assess the existing evidence.

Are there tens of thousands of studies about your question? That might be an indication that you need to narrow your focus.

Is there a lack of research about your question? If you can only find a few studies about your topic, your question might be too specific, or your area of interest might not be ready for a systematic review. Also, the results of your review may have limited value.

If you feel that your search indicates there’s enough evidence to move forward with your systematic review, and your question is specific enough, you’ll want to start building a team of people who can help you.