# How to conduct a systematic review: workflow overview

> Chapter 1 of 8 of The Systematic Review E-book by AIPRA. A systematic review is one of the highest levels of evidence for a research question. It is usually led by domain experts working with methodology experts such as librarians or information specialists. The review proceeds as a stepwise workflow — research question, literature search, screening, data extraction, evidence synthesis, and writing — where each stage depends on the one before it, so the protocol, the work performed, and the final report all tell the same story.

- Source: https://aipra.co/systematic-review-ebook
- Topics: systematic review workflow; how to conduct a systematic review; systematic review steps; systematic review protocol; evidence synthesis process
- Last updated: 2026-09-05
- Licence: free to read; cite as shown at the end of this file.

## Key points

- A systematic review sits at the top of the evidence hierarchy because its methods are prespecified, systematic, and reproducible.
- Reviews are normally a collaboration between domain experts (subject knowledge) and methodology experts (search design, screening, reporting).
- The workflow is sequential: the research question constrains eligibility criteria, which constrain the search, screening, extraction, and synthesis.
- The protocol is a living document that grows as each workflow stage is completed, so what was planned matches what was executed and reported.

## Chapter outline

1. What a systematic review is and who conducts it
2. The stepwise workflow
3. Protocol development through the workflow
4. How the protocol document grows with your workflow

## Questions this chapter answers

### What are the steps of a systematic review?

The main steps are: (1) formulate a focused research question, (2) select databases and build search queries, (3) deduplicate and screen records at title/abstract then full text, (4) extract structured data from included studies, (5) plan and perform evidence synthesis (narrative or meta-analysis), and (6) write up Methods and Results with a PRISMA flow diagram. Each step depends on the decisions made in the previous one.

### Who should be on a systematic review team?

Most high-quality reviews involve at least three people: two reviewers who screen and extract independently, plus a third who adjudicates disagreements. Teams commonly also include a librarian or information specialist for search strategy design.

### How long does a systematic review take?

Traditional systematic reviews frequently take many months from protocol to submission, with screening being the largest single time cost because relevant records can be a very small fraction of total search results. Software can reduce administrative and screening burden, but methodological decisions and human verification still require expert time.

## How to cite this chapter

AIPRA. How to conduct a systematic review: workflow overview. In: The Systematic Review E-book. Updated 2026-09-05. Available from: https://aipra.co/systematic-review-ebook