High Level Reviews (systematic, integrative, scoping)

This older version of the guide is no longer being updated, and will be removed on August 16 2024.

Looking for information on systematic, integrative and scoping reviews? Please update your bookmarks to the new Working with systematic, scoping and integrative reviews site on Moodle. You will need to log in and self-enrol.

If you are doing a traditional or narrative literature review, try the Literature Reviews page.

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So, when we say, “High level review”, what do we actually mean?

It is all about the execution of the review. These types of reviews are not a walk in the park or a tick the box.

• High level reviews follow a protocol. A set of clearly defined guidelines that enable the review team to identify, analyse, appraise, and synthesize the studies included in the review.
• Some high level reviews may also include a meta-analysis; however, this is dependent on the types of studies included in the review.
• High level reviews usually require a longer time to complete than traditional literature reviews because of the extra stages.

High level reviews of published literature can produce a standalone document or comprise a stage of a larger project. For example, you might undertake one as part of your thesis research.

Having a clear understanding of what you hope to find by undertaking a high level review can help you in selecting the right review for you. These are just some questions that can assist you in deciding if a high level review should be undertaken, or if you should look at a different type of a review, such as a Literature Review or a Systematic Literature Review.

Before you select your review type, it is important to consider the following:

• What do I hope to achieve in undertaking a high level review?
• Can I find the evidence I need with the already vast amount of published literature available?
• Do I want to publish?
• Am I hoping to change current practices in my professional field?
• Am I looking for a current gap in the literature available to support my research proposal?
• Am I just going to be adding to the vast amounts of literature out there, or am I going to contribute something new?

Note: Systematic Literature Reviews have not been included in within the group of high level reviews as the development and application of the search strategy is the only component of this review that take a systematic approach. See the Literature Review guide for information on this type.

Watch a short video overview of high level reviews.