How to Perform a Systematic Literature Review

Introduction.- A brief history of the systematic review.- The aim and scope of a systematic review: a logical approach, developing a question.- Systematic reviews/other types of review.- Searching for literature.- Screening search results: a 1-2-3 approach.- Critical appraisal: assessing the quality of studies.- Meta-analysis: reviewing quantitative studies.- Metasynthesis: reviewing qualitative studies.- Mixed-method synthesis.- Meaning and implications.- Making an impact.- Appendices.- Glossary.

Dr. Edward Purssell teaches children's nursing and research methods at City, University of London. His clinical interests include paediatric medicine and in particular the treatment of fever in children and infectious diseases.  He has a methodological interest in research synthesis, meta-analysis and the use of transparent methods of decision-making in clinical practice.  


Dr. Niall McCrae teaches mental health nursing and research methods at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care at King's College London. His research interests are dementia, depression, the impact of social media on younger people, and the history of mental health care. Niall has written two previous books: The Moon and Madness (Imprint Academic, 2011) and The Story of Nursing in British Mental Hospitals: Echoes from the Corridors (Routledge, 2016). He is a regular writer for Salisbury Review magazine. 

In partnershipPurssell and McCrae have written several papers on research methodology and literature reviewing for healthcare journals. Both have extensive experience of teaching literature reviewing at all academic levels, and explaining complex concepts in a way that is accessible to all