Abstract
Objectives
To provide a descriptive insight into the different types of research questions/objectives
and associated methodologies of overviews of reviews, supplemented by representative
examples from the health care literature.
Study Design and Setting
We searched in methodological articles for information on types and methodologies
used in overviews and we explored the typology of reviews to identify similar types
in literature of overviews. We categorized the types of overviews based on the research
question/objective and the methodological approach used. Indicative examples for each
category were selected from a sample of 2,121 overviews that were retrieved between
2000 and 2022 from MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Results
Based on type of research question, overviews were classified as overviews of reviews
of interventions, associations, prediction, diagnostic accuracy, prevalence/incidence,
experiences/views, economic evaluation, and measurement properties. Based on the methodological
approach, we identified a variety of methods (systematic, living, rapid, scoping,
evidence mapping, framework, and methodological) used in overviews.
Conclusion
The proposed classification and examples provide an essential starting point for future
theory-building research on typologies and study designs of overviews of reviews.
It is important for methodologists to make vigorous effort to create consensus-based
methodological and reporting guidelines to cover these diverse types and key methodological
challenges.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 06, 2022
Accepted:
November 2,
2022
Footnotes
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Declarations of interests: All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Data availability statement: The full updated dataset of overview studies is available at Center for Open Science (OSF) (https://osf.io/cnq6h/).
Identification
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