Evidence Synthesis and Literature Reviews in the Health Sciences

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Used as a textbook in Public Health and Nutrition, this book is written for the student researcher.

The systematic review is a rigorous method of collating and synthesizing evidence from multiple studies, producing a whole greater than the sum of parts. This textbook is an authoritative and accessible guide to an activity that is often found overwhelming. The authors steer readers on a logical, sequential path through the process, taking account of the different needs of researchers, students and practitioners. Practical guidance is provided on the fundamentals of systematic reviewing and also on advanced techniques such as meta-analysis. Examples are given in each chapter, with a succinct glossary to support the text.   This up-to-date, accessible textbook will satisfy the needs of students, practitioners and educators in the sphere of healthcare, and contribute to improving the quality of evidence-based practice. The authors will advise some freely available or inexpensive open source/access resources (such as PubMed, R and Zotero) to help students how to perform a systemic review, in particular those with limited resources.

This book includes: ·       Worksheets and decision aids to help you plan and organise your literature review ·       Worked examples and case studies to show you what - and what not - to do in practice ·       Troubleshooting tips and answers to all your frequently asked questions ·       Online access to a literature review starter template, an exercise workbook, project diary template, and a source credibility checklist. The perfect project support for any social sciences student, this edition also includes a new chapter on analysing mixed methods research.

The main strength of this book is the interdisciplinary nature. There are chapters on qualitative reviews and on economic reviews. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are not explained as clearly here as in other sources.