Louise LiveseyAcademic Skills Adviser

22/12/15 Academic Skills Advice1

Writing a Systematic Review

This workshop will:

- Recap what a systematic review is (see the Library’s sessions on how to conduct the review).- Focus specifically on the issues around drafting and editing a systematic review.- Offer strategies on structuring the finished write-up, editing for improvement and adopting appropriate academic style.

The Plan:

1. What is a systematic review?

2. Tips for presenting your findings

3. Structuring principles: organising your work

4. Editing to improve style

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1.What is a systematic review?

A review = an analytical appraisal of literature

Reviews of literature can be:– Narrative (traditional)– Systematic

High quality systematic reviews seek to: – Identify – Select – Assess – Synthesise – Interpret

(Hemingway & Brereton 2009)

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How is this different from other types of review?• Secondary research data is treated with the same

rigour as primary studies involve.

• Specific, clearly-articulated inclusion and exclusion criteria

• Criteria and analysis process explicitly reported upon to ensure soundness and replicability.

(Gough et al. 2012)

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1.What is a systematic review?

Getting started…

• See your subject librarians

• Attend JB Priestley Library sessions throughout the year

• Do you know of a SR tool in your discipline?

• http://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/files/course/dementia/reviews/page_02.htm

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1.What is a systematic review?

What do you notice about the process shown here?

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You need to :• work with a lot of data,

even at undergraduate level!

• develop your own method of keeping and tracking the studies and the data

One example…

2. Tips for presenting your findings

• Present a similar process for your own collection of studies

• Some exclusion criteria will be applied before reading entire articles

• Using a flow chart shows that you can present data graphically, not just as tables or text

• Devise a way of presenting your findings that can show analysis across the full group of studies.

• Being methodical is the key

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2. Tips for presenting your findings

Activity 1: Presenting review findings

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 As a table of textAs tabulated data with codesAs ‘vignettes’ (summaries)As a diagram e.g. a VennAs a narrativeAs an annotated critiquing tool (such as a CASP form)

2. Tips for presenting your findings

– Results-focused summary

– Study-focused summary

– Results-focused commentary

– Study-focused commentary

– A combination22/12/15 Academic Skills Advice9

2. Tips for presenting your findings

• Follow all course guidance• Summarise findings to raise discussion

points • Discussion about theory or model • Include limitations • Compare and contrast the findings • Relate findings back to the title/question

or aims

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3. Structuring principles: organising your work

• Normal structural principles • Sections • Provide background • Paragraphing• No single/double sentence paragraphs• Each paragraph: 1 central point about findings

with evidence from analysis • No haphazard observations • Have a logical sequence

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3. Structuring principles: organising your work

– Thematic: data patterns

– Thematic: topic/issue

– Study-by-study

– Mixed methods

(Harden & Gough 2012)22/12/15 Academic Skills Advice12

Organising a discussion

3. Structuring principles: organising your work

4. Editing to improve style and word count

READ A PUBLISHED REVIEW FROM YOUR DISCIPLINE!

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Top tip

• Concise

• 3rd person verb phrases

• Precise

• Orderly

= C-3PO

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http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/C-3PO

4. Editing to improve style and word count

Definitely at one level there’s a need to develop IPE that we should deliver to really large groups of student practitioners. Pollard et al. (2005) mentioned that IPE was delivered to a big group of students from a few programmes for those wishing to qualify as professionals. A lot of studies described IPE that kept it simple by having only a few professional groups involved at one time. There’s evidence in my review that some models showed how sustainable IPE for interprofessional student teams can be delivered in care settings. This is at pre-qualification level.22/12/15 Academic Skills Advice15

4. Editing to improve styleand word count

Particularly at pre-qualification level, there is a need to develop IPE that can be delivered to large cohorts of students. Pollard et al. (2005) evaluated IPE delivered to 840 students from 10 pre-qualifying programmes. Most studies (17, 81%) described IPE that limited complexity by including no more than four professional groups. The IPE models described by Dienst & Byl (1981); Barber et al. (1997) and Mu et al. (2004) showed how sustainable IPE for interprofessional student teams can be delivered in care settings.

(Hammick et al. 2007: 742)

Activity 2: Editing Practice

My journals in this assignment are indicating that some types of students on BA & BSc degrees have prior perceptions or attitudes to IPE and collaborative working. These are shaped by a lot of complicated muddle of factors, like age past jobs and professional experience, and whether you are male or female. As there is more and more IPE, learners will have prior experience of IPE and this means IPE will add to this muddle of factors, shaping views of subsequent experiences. Out of the whole of this review only one study (Kilminster et al. 2004) studied learners’ prior experience of IPE and said it was limited but this will change as some students doing BA and BSc who do IPE will then have experience and then participate in post-reg IPE.22/12/15 Academic Skills Advice16

Activity 2: Editing Practice

4. Editing to improve styleand word count

The studies reviewed here indicated that undergraduates have prior perceptions/attitudes to IPE and collaborative working. These are shaped by a complex mix of factors, for example, age, prior work experience and gender. With the growth in IPE, the learners’ prior experience of IPE itself will add to this melange of factors, shaping views of subsequent experiences. In this review one study (Kilminster et al. 2004) documented learners’ prior experience of IPE and found it to be limited but this will change as undergraduate learners with IPE experience participate in post-registration IPE.

(Hammick et al. 2007: 748)

ReferencesBrickipedia. (2015) http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/C-3PO Accessed 12th February 2015.

Ekman, B. (2004) Community-based health insurance in low-income countries: a systematic review of the evidence. Health policy and planning. 19 (5) 249-270

Gough, D., Oliver, S. and Thomas, J. (2012) An introduction to systematic reviews. London: Sage Publications Ltd.Hammick, M., Freeth, D., Koppel, I., Reeves, S. and Barr, H. (2007) A best evidence systematic review of interprofessional education. BEME Guide. No. 9. Medical teacher, 29 (8) 735-751

Harden, A. and Gough, D. (2012) Quality and relevance appraisal In: D. Gough, Oliver, S. and Thomas, J. An introduction to systematic reviews. 153-178

Hemingway, P. and Brereton, N. (2009) What is a systematic review? What is Series. Bandolier, April.

Jacobs, B., Ir, P., Bigdeli, M., Annear, P. L. and Van Damme, W. (2012) Addressing access barriers to health services: an analytical framework for selecting appropriate interventions in low-income Asian countries. Health policy and planning. 27 (4) 288-300

Laird, E. A. and Coates, V. (2013) Systematic review of randomized controlled trials to regulate glycaemia after stroke. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 69 (2) 263-277

Leatherman, S., Metcalfe, M., Geissler, K. and Dunford, C. (2012) Integrating microfinance and health strategies: examining the evidence to inform policy and practice. Health policy and planning. 27 (2) 85-101

Liberati, A., Altman, D. G., Tetzlaff, J., Mulrow, C., Gøtzsche, P. C., Ioannidis, J. P., Clarke, M., Devereaux, P., Kleijnen, J. and Moher, D. (2009) The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: explanation and elaboration. Annals of internal medicine. 151 (4) W-65-W-94

Rowe, A. K., Rowe, S. Y., Holloway, K. A., Ivanovska, V., Muhe, L. and Lambrechts, T. (2011) Does shortening the training on Integrated Management of Childhood Illness guidelines reduce its effectiveness? A systematic review. Health policy and planning. pp.czr033

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Academic Skills Advice ServiceWhere are we? Chesham Building B0.23. Give us a call or come speak

to us Mon-Fri

Who am I? Louise, the dedicated workshop adviser.

Who can help me with study and writing skills? Lucy and Russell run Instant Advice Monday-Friday 10am-4pm and Writing Skills Clinics three times a week. You can also access self-help resources on our website www.brad.ac.uk/academic-skills

Who can give me maths advice? Helen and Michael specialise in Maths support for students though clinics and pre-booked appointments.

How do I get in touch? Email: academic-skills@brad.ac.uk Telephone: 01274 236849

08/05/23 Academic Skills Advice18