Q. What is the difference between a systematic review and a systematic literature review?

‘Systematic’ describes the review’s methods. It means that they are transparent, reproducible and defined before the search gets underway. That’s important because it helps to minimise the bias that would result from cherry-picking studies in a non-systematic way. 

Literature reviews don’t usually apply the same rigour in their methods. That’s because, unlike systematic reviews, they don’t aim to produce an answer to a clinical question. Literature reviews can provide context or background information for a new piece of research. They can also stand alone as a general guide to what is already known about a particular topic. 

Summary adapted from: Mellor, L. (2022) ‘The difference between a systematic review and a literature review’, https://www.covidence.org/, no date. Available at: https://www.covidence.org/blog/the-difference-between-a-systematic-review-and-a-literature-review/ (Accessed: 23 May 2022).

Your supervisor may ask you to do a systematic review, when what they actually want you to do is a systematic review of the literature. There are a few key differences:

Summary adapted from: Kysh, L. (2013) ‘What's in a name? The difference between a systematic review and a literature review and why it matters’, https://figshare.com/ , 8 August. Available at:  https://figshare.com/articles/Difference_between_a_systematic_review_and_a_literature_review/766364 

(Accessed: 23 May 2022).

You can find supporting online resources including videos on title Doing a Systematic Review, 2nd edition available as an ebook and as print copies in the library.

Your Liaison Librarian can also provide further help and advice.