Scoping review of evidence synthesis: Concepts, types and methods.

<h4>Objectives</h4>To systematically explore the concepts, types, and methodologies related to literature reviews and evidence synthesis.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a scoping review using PubMed, Embase, Biblioteca Virtual da Saúde, grey literature, and websites of key inter...

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Main Authors: Carla Andrea Trapé, Célia Maria Sivalli Campos, Cintia de Freitas Oliveira, João Gabriel Sanchez Tavares da Silva, Liza Yurie Teruya Uchimura, Mabel Fernandes Figueiró, Maritsa Carla de Bortoli, Sidney Marcel Domingues, Tatiana Yonekura
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323555
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author Carla Andrea Trapé
Célia Maria Sivalli Campos
Cintia de Freitas Oliveira
João Gabriel Sanchez Tavares da Silva
Liza Yurie Teruya Uchimura
Mabel Fernandes Figueiró
Maritsa Carla de Bortoli
Sidney Marcel Domingues
Tatiana Yonekura
author_facet Carla Andrea Trapé
Célia Maria Sivalli Campos
Cintia de Freitas Oliveira
João Gabriel Sanchez Tavares da Silva
Liza Yurie Teruya Uchimura
Mabel Fernandes Figueiró
Maritsa Carla de Bortoli
Sidney Marcel Domingues
Tatiana Yonekura
author_sort Carla Andrea Trapé
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Objectives</h4>To systematically explore the concepts, types, and methodologies related to literature reviews and evidence synthesis.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a scoping review using PubMed, Embase, Biblioteca Virtual da Saúde, grey literature, and websites of key international and national institutions, including the Cochrane Collaboration, Joanna Briggs Institute, Center for Reviews and Dissemination, Campbell Collaboration, and REBRATS, with searches completed through November 13, 2024. Studies were included if they identified or proposed theories and/or methodologies for evidence synthesis at international or national levels, with eligibility limited to studies published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese and no restrictions on publication year. Title and abstract screening was conducted independently by ten reviewers working in pairs, with a third reviewer resolving conflicts as needed, and full-text copies of potentially relevant articles were retrieved for further analysis.<h4>Results</h4>The review included 99 studies employing a variety of evidence synthesis methods. A total of 71 terminologies for types of evidence synthesis were identified and grouped by conceptual and methodological similarities, resulting in 16 categories of evidence synthesis, each with clear differences in concepts and methods.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The lack of standardization in defining and classifying review types challenges the scientific community by hindering study comparisons and appropriate methodology selection. Future research should explore the relationships between different review types and their outcomes, as well as the applicability of new methodologies across various fields.
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spelling doaj-art-1f245b4ff194488abbe2c47092a7b7d22025-08-20T03:21:32ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01205e032355510.1371/journal.pone.0323555Scoping review of evidence synthesis: Concepts, types and methods.Carla Andrea TrapéCélia Maria Sivalli CamposCintia de Freitas OliveiraJoão Gabriel Sanchez Tavares da SilvaLiza Yurie Teruya UchimuraMabel Fernandes FigueiróMaritsa Carla de BortoliSidney Marcel DominguesTatiana Yonekura<h4>Objectives</h4>To systematically explore the concepts, types, and methodologies related to literature reviews and evidence synthesis.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a scoping review using PubMed, Embase, Biblioteca Virtual da Saúde, grey literature, and websites of key international and national institutions, including the Cochrane Collaboration, Joanna Briggs Institute, Center for Reviews and Dissemination, Campbell Collaboration, and REBRATS, with searches completed through November 13, 2024. Studies were included if they identified or proposed theories and/or methodologies for evidence synthesis at international or national levels, with eligibility limited to studies published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese and no restrictions on publication year. Title and abstract screening was conducted independently by ten reviewers working in pairs, with a third reviewer resolving conflicts as needed, and full-text copies of potentially relevant articles were retrieved for further analysis.<h4>Results</h4>The review included 99 studies employing a variety of evidence synthesis methods. A total of 71 terminologies for types of evidence synthesis were identified and grouped by conceptual and methodological similarities, resulting in 16 categories of evidence synthesis, each with clear differences in concepts and methods.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The lack of standardization in defining and classifying review types challenges the scientific community by hindering study comparisons and appropriate methodology selection. Future research should explore the relationships between different review types and their outcomes, as well as the applicability of new methodologies across various fields.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323555
spellingShingle Carla Andrea Trapé
Célia Maria Sivalli Campos
Cintia de Freitas Oliveira
João Gabriel Sanchez Tavares da Silva
Liza Yurie Teruya Uchimura
Mabel Fernandes Figueiró
Maritsa Carla de Bortoli
Sidney Marcel Domingues
Tatiana Yonekura
Scoping review of evidence synthesis: Concepts, types and methods.
PLoS ONE
title Scoping review of evidence synthesis: Concepts, types and methods.
title_full Scoping review of evidence synthesis: Concepts, types and methods.
title_fullStr Scoping review of evidence synthesis: Concepts, types and methods.
title_full_unstemmed Scoping review of evidence synthesis: Concepts, types and methods.
title_short Scoping review of evidence synthesis: Concepts, types and methods.
title_sort scoping review of evidence synthesis concepts types and methods
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323555
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