Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences
Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences by
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This book, written by two highly-respected social scientists, provides an overview of systematic literature review methods: Outlining the rationale and methods of systematic reviews; Giving worked examples from social science and other fields; Applying the practice to all social science disciplines; It requires no previous knowledge, but takes the reader through the process stage by stage; Drawing on examples from such diverse fields as psychology, criminology, education, transport, social welfare, public health, and housing and urban policy, among others.
ISBN: 9781405121101Publication Date: 2005-12-16
Systematic reviews are literature reviews that adhere closely to a set of scientific methods that explicitly aim to limit systematic error (bias), mainly by attempting to identify, appraise and synthesize all relevant studies (of whatever design) in order to answer a particular question (or set of questions). In carrying out this task they set out their methods in advance, and in detail, as one would for any piece of social research. In this respect, as we shall see, they are quite unlike most ‘‘traditional’’ narrative reviews.
Excerpt from: Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2008). Why do we need systematic reviews? In: Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. (pp. 9-10). John Wiley & Sons. Link to the full text of the book above.
If you would like additional comprehensive overviews of the process of Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences, please see:
- EPPI-Centre: based in the Social Science Research Unit in the Department of Social Science, UCL Institute of Education, University College LondonThe EPPI-Centre is a specialist centre for: (i) developing methods for systematic reviewing and synthesis of research evidence; and (ii) developing methods for the study of the use research. Our work in research synthesis and research use is across many areas of social policy including education, health, social care, developing economies, sport, environment, and crime.
Steps of a Systematic Review simplified!
Please watch the short video below from the Brown University School of Public Health for an overview of The Steps of a Systematic Review!
Literature review vs. Systematic Review overview
Creative Commons License CC BY 4.0
Kysh, Lynn (2013): Difference between a systematic review and a literature review. figshare. Poster. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.766364.v1
What's the difference between a Literature Review and a Systematic Review?
Please watch this "Research Short" called Conducting a Systematic Literature Review for a great overview of the difference between literature reviews and systematic reviews.
Research Shorts are short research video summaries by George Veletsianos and The Digital Learning and Social Media Research Group: http://www.thedlrgroup.com/.