What Our Systematic Review Service Delivers
A systematic review is a rigorous, reproducible method of identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing all available evidence on a clearly defined research question. Unlike traditional narrative reviews, a systematic review follows a predefined protocol, uses comprehensive search strategies across multiple databases, and applies transparent criteria for study selection and quality assessment.
At Research Gold, our systematic review service provides end-to-end support from initial concept through to a publish-ready manuscript. Every project is led by PhD-level methodologists who have published systematic reviews in peer-reviewed journals. We follow Cochrane Handbook methodology (Higgins et al., 2023) and report all findings according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines (Page et al., 2021).
Whether you are a PhD candidate working on your doctoral thesis, a clinical researcher preparing a journal submission, or a grant applicant building your evidence base, our team delivers a manuscript that is ready to withstand the most rigorous peer review.
Our Systematic Review Process: Step by Step
Every systematic review we deliver follows a structured, transparent methodology. Here is what each stage involves:
1. Consultation and Scoping
We begin with a detailed discussion of your research question, target population, intervention, comparators, and outcomes. Using the PICO framework, we refine your question to ensure it is specific, answerable, and aligned with your publication or thesis goals. You can use our free interactive pico framework generator to structure your research question before we begin.
2. Protocol Development and PROSPERO Registration
Before any searching begins, we develop a formal protocol following PRISMA-P guidelines. This protocol documents every methodological decision, from databases searched to eligibility criteria and planned analyses. We can register your protocol with PROSPERO, the international prospective register of systematic reviews, using our use our prospero registration formatter.
3. Comprehensive Search Strategy
Our information specialist designs a sensitive, reproducible search strategy using Boolean operators, MeSH terms, and free-text synonyms. We search a minimum of three databases (typically PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL) plus discipline-specific databases such as Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, or Web of Science. Every search is fully documented and reproducible. Try our free our free search strategy builder to see how we construct database queries.
4. Study Selection (Dual-Reviewer Screening)
All titles and abstracts are screened independently by two reviewers. Full-text articles that pass initial screening undergo a second round of dual-reviewer evaluation against your predefined eligibility criteria. Disagreements are resolved through discussion or a third reviewer. We calculate Cohen's kappa to measure inter-rater reliability, which you can verify using our inter-rater reliability calculator.
5. Data Extraction
We design standardized data extraction forms tailored to your review question. Two reviewers independently extract study characteristics, participant demographics, interventions, outcomes, and effect measures. Our data extraction form builder gives you a preview of how we structure these forms.
6. Risk of Bias Assessment
Depending on the study designs included, we apply the appropriate quality assessment tools:
- RoB 2 for randomized controlled trials (Sterne et al., 2019)
- ROBINS-I for non-randomized studies of interventions
- Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational studies (cohort and case-control)
- JBI Critical Appraisal Checklists for qualitative and mixed-methods studies
Assessments are conducted independently by two reviewers. You can explore these tools yourself using our free try our risk of bias assessment tool and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale calculator.
7. Evidence Synthesis
Findings are synthesized narratively and, where appropriate, quantitatively through meta-analysis. We produce summary of findings tables, forest plots, and GRADE certainty of evidence assessments. If meta-analysis is warranted, we calculate pooled effect sizes using random-effects or fixed-effect models implemented in R (metafor and meta packages) or Stata.
8. Manuscript Writing
The final deliverable is a complete, publish-ready manuscript following IMRAD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion). We format it to the specifications of your target journal, including word limits, citation style, figure requirements, and supplementary materials. If the review is for a doctoral thesis, we adapt the format to your university's requirements.