Frame 1 - Planning
The planning frame is where researchers develop the process they will follow throughout the review. It includes four stages:
- Researchers refine their research aims and objectives and determine if a systematic review on their topic is feasible through scoping the literature.
- Researchers use what they discovered in stage 1 to develop a specific, clear, and answerable research question.
- Researchers develop eligibility criteria, a search strategy, and extraction and coding forms based on the research question.
- Researchers write and register or publish a review protocol.
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Frame 2 - Collection
The collection frame is where researchers comprehensively gather all potential sources of evidence for analysis. It includes 2 search stages:
- Researchers run the search strategy developed during the planning frame in each of the selected databases separately.
- Researchers use various methods to identify sources the database search may have missed. These can include hand searching relevant journals, contacting researchers in the field, searching government and organizational websites for reports, and searching google scholar and other web resources for additional gray literature.
Frame 3 - Analysis
During the analysis frame, researchers identify the most relevant and highest quality sources and use their chosen synthesis method to analyze the data. This involves four stages:
- Researchers will deduplicate the search results and then conduct 2 rounds of screening with at least two independent screeners. During the first round, researchers will screen by title and abstract, and in the second round, screen by full text.
- Researchers conduct a quality assessment or risk of bias assessment on the included studies to determine the credibility of the findings.
- Researchers extract the relevant data from the included studies.
- Researchers use their chosen synthesis method to analyze the data. Often systematic reviews use a meta-analysis, content analysis, or thematic analysis.
Frame 4 - Reporting
During the reporting frame, researchers will write the manuscript of the review. Researchers should be sure to consult the PRISMA 2020 guidelines during the reporting frame. The frame consists of two main stages:
- Researchers will present their search method and analysis process and present the results.
- Researchers will explain and discuss the conclusions drawn from those results and note implications for practice, policy, or future research.
