Northwell/ZSOM Systematic Review

Systematic reviews and scoping reviews should have a protocol which helps to plan and outline the study methodology. The protocol should include:

• Search question or objective
• Key questions broken into PICO (or other structured research question) components
• Inclusion/exclusion criteria (scope including types of studies, participants, interventions)
• Proposed search strategy for published/unpublished literature
• Methodology for data extraction and analysis
• Assessment of methodological quality/risk of bias of individual studies (not required for scoping reviews)
• Data synthesis
• Grading the evidence for each key question
• Time- frame

Why should you complete a protocol?

• A protocol is your planning document and roadmap for the project. It allows you to complete a systematic review/scoping review efficiently and accurately, ensures greater understanding among team members, and makes writing the manuscript easier.
• Many journals now require submitted systematic reviews to have registered protocols.
• The PRISMA Reporting Standard lists information about the systematic review protocol as an "essential element" (PRISMA 2020 Item 24)
• The Cochrane Handbook, The Institute of Medicine Standards, and others, all list completing a protocol as one of the important steps to a successful systematic review.