Evidence Syntheses (Scoping, systematic, & other types of reviews)

PRISMA provides a list of items to consider when reporting results. 

• Study selection:  Give numbers of studies screened, assessed for eligibility, & included in the review, with reasons for exclusions at each stage, ideally with a flow diagram.

• Study characteristics:  For each study, present characteristics for which data were extracted (e.g., study size, PICOs, follow-up period) & provide the citations.

• Risk of bias within studies:  Present data on risk of bias of each study &, if available, any outcome level assessment.

• Results of individual studies:  For all outcomes considered (benefits or harms), present, for each study: (a) simple summary data for each intervention group  (b) effect estimates & confidence intervals, ideally with a forest plot. 

• Synthesis of results:  Present results of each meta-analysis done, including confidence intervals & measures of consistency.

• Risk of bias across studies:  Present results of any assessment of risk of bias across studies.

• Additional analysis:  Give results of additional analyses, if done (e.g., sensitivity or subgroup analyses, meta-regression).

References:

1. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG; PRISMA Group. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. Ann Intern Med. 2009 Aug 18;151(4):264-9, W64. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-151-4-200908180-00135. Epub 2009 Jul 20. PMID: 19622511.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19622511/
2. Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Gøtzsche PC, Ioannidis JP, Clarke M, Devereaux PJ, Kleijnen J, Moher D. The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: explanation and elaboration. Ann Intern Med. 2009 Aug 18;151(4):W65-94. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-151-4-200908180-00136. Epub 2009 Jul 20. PMID: 19622512. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19622512
3. Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W,  et al. PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018 Oct 2;169(7):467-473. doi: 10.7326/M18-0850. Epub 2018 Sep 4. PMID: 30178033.  https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/epdf/10.7326/M18-0850

See the EQUATOR network for more guidelines for reporting health research.

As a collaborator on your research team, an informationist can write the methods section of your publication. With an informationist as a co-author you can be confident that the methods section of your paper will meet the relevant PRISMA reporting standards and be replicable by other groups.

The Covidence Knowledgebase contains brief videos and how-to articles on Exporting data and PRISMA flowcharts, including:

• How to export and interpret PRISMA
• FAQ: Why don't the numbers in my PRISMA flowchart add up?
• What does Extraction 1 data look like when exported?
• How to export extracted data to Excel using Extraction 1
• How to export extracted data to Excel using Extraction 2

For more information on U-M's Covidence license, please see the Covidence Review Tool page of this Evidence Syntheses Research Guide.