Dissertation Subject Guide

When you have carried out your searches, the next step is to select which studies to include in your review.

You need to collate all the records from each database you've searched. Then you can start excluding irrelevant papers to reduce the amount of studies to a manageable number. The easiest way to collate this information is by using a PRISMA flow diagram. (Although primarily used for systematic reviews, the flow chart can be adapted for literature reviews scoping reviews etc. too). Text in flow diagram boxes is editable to suit your needs.

Always keep in mind your inclusion and exclusion criteria.

1. identify and record how many records you have gathered from databases & record number of studies excluded at this step (top boxes in flow diagram)

2. screen results (middle box section in flow diagram)

• by title of studies & record number of studies excluded at this step
• by abstract & record number of studies excluded at this step
• retrieve full text of studies & record number of studies excluded at this step
• read remaining studies

3.  and only include eligible studies

PRISMA stands for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).

PRISMA is a crucial guideline for researchers conducting systematic reviews for: 

Transparency and Completeness:

• PRISMA helps authors transparently report why the review was done, what they did, and what they found.
• It ensures a complete and accurate account of the systematic review process.

Components of PRISMA:

The PRISMA 2020 statement includes:

•  27-item checklist detailing reporting recommendations for each aspect of the review.
• abstract checklist.

The PRISMA Extensions includes reporting checklists for:

• PRISMA for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) -  checklist with 20 essential reporting items
• PRISMA for systematic review protocols (PRISMA-P)

• PRISMA for Searching (PRISMA-Search)

The PRISMA Flow Diagram

• depicts the flow of information through the different phases of a systematic review. It maps out the number of records identified, included and excluded, and the reasons for exclusions. Different templates are available depending on the type of review (new or updated) and sources used to identify studies

The downloadable PRISMA diagram can be adapted and edited to suit your needs.

Alternatively Flow diagrams can also be generated using a Shiny App available at https://www.eshackathon.org/software/PRISMA2020.html

You can use Endnote (or other reference management tools) successfully to identify numbers from each database and use to decrease records through PRISMA process.

Always take screenshots or photos of your numbers before excluding duplicates and irrelevant records.