Skip to main content

Table 1 Examples of review types

From: Clarifying differences between review designs and methods

Predominant review type

Review questions

Aggregative

 

‘What works?’ reviews

What is the effect of a health or social intervention?

Diagnostic test

What is the accuracy of this diagnostic tool?

Cost benefit

How effective is the benefit of an intervention relative to its cost?

Prevalence

How extensive is this condition?

Configurative

 

Meta-ethnography [4]

What theories can be generated from the conceptual literature?

Critical interpretative synthesis [8]

What theories can be generated from the conceptual literature?

Meta narrative review [11]

How to understand the development of research on an issue within and across different research traditions?

Configuring and aggregative

 

Realist synthesis [9]

What is the effect of a social policy in different policy areas?

Framework synthesis [25]

What are the attributes of an intervention or activity?