Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning

Back to: Systematic Reviews

Conducting a Systematic Review; a practical guide

Course Outline:

The aim of the course is to equip participants with an understanding of
the systematic review process and an introduction to the skills necessary
to conduct a review. The course is practical and highly interactive with a
range of discussion, group and hands-on sessions. It is envisaged that
participants will come to the course with a research topic and leave with
a draft protocol for their systematic review.

Who is it for?

This course is tailored to:

• Postgraduate healthcare researchers
• Healthcare professionals
• Policy makers

What will you learn?

By the end of the course, attendees should be able to:

• Develop a focused question
• Identify the evidence to answer that question
• Assess the quality/validity of the identified evidence
• Decide what form of evidence synthesis is most appropriate
• Present the result to meet the needs of clinicians and other researchers
• Develop a strategy to publicise the results.

Benefits of attending:

• Interactive skills development
• Come with a topic
• Leave with an outline protocol
• Tutors with extensive systemic review experience

Covers key aspects

• Developing a focused question
• Identifying the literature
• Selecting and appraising studies
• Meta-analysis or narrative synthesis
• Report writing and dissemination

The course is presented by Cardiff University’s Support Unit for Research Evidence (SURE) with support from other Cardiff University staff. SURE is a largely grant funded team founded in 2000. Its staff specialise in carrying out systematic reviews, researching and teaching review techniques.

Course presenters

Course tutors have extensive experience of undertaking reviews and teaching evidence-based methodologies. They include:

Fiona Morgan (Course Leader) has worked on reviews for a range of organisations including the Welsh Government, NICE, NHS Evidence and Public Health Wales. Current and recent projects include a Cochrane review on workplace obesity, a review on the prevention and treatment of dislocation following total hip replacement and systematic reviews to inform NICE guidance on tobacco harm reduction and weight management for children and young people. She advises Cardiff University staff and students undertaking literature and systematic reviews and teaches evidence-based methodologies for the University’s Graduate College, NISCHR CRC and the NHS. Fiona also lectures in research methods in the University’s School of Healthcare Studies.

Bernadette Coles has worked as a site librarian for Cardiff University since 1987. She became involved in systematic reviewing when the Cochrane Prostatic Diseases and Urological Cancers Group was established in 1998. She is a co-author of 12 Cochrane reviews and 13 systematic reviews in other peer reviewed publications and has been coordinator of the Cochrane Information Retrieval Methods Group since 2006. She teaches a wide variety of courses including critical appraisal workshops for NHS staff and a ‘Searching for Evidence’ day for NISCHR CRC.

Mark Kelly is a Research Fellow in Statistics in the South East Wales Trials Unit at Cardiff University. He is a consultant for the Research Design and Conduct Service and an experienced trials statistician. He has conducted a number of systematic reviews. His research interests include exercise interventions in challenging populations and mental health.

Mala Mann has worked in systematic reviewing for more than 17 years during which time she has co-authored 50 publications. She has particular expertise is in advanced literature searching and the development of systematic review methodologies. Mala provides advice, support and training for staff and students and has conducted workshops in UK and Europe. She is co-ordinator of the Cardiff University Systematic Review Network, established to encourage and assist collaborative working between researchers involved in reviews.

Helen Morgan joined SURE in 2006. She has worked on projects for Cardiff University, The Welsh Government, The Cochrane Collaboration and NICE. She is skilled in advanced literature searching, critical appraisal and evidence summaries. Helen is a Trials Search Co-ordinator for the Cochrane Public Health Review Group; providing search methodology support to review authors and maintaining a specialised register of studies for the group.

Alison Weightman is Director of SURE. She has over 16 years experience as a systematic reviewer and a particular interest and expertise in reviewing, and developing systematic review techniques for complex public health topics. She is a Co-convenor of the Cochrane Information Retrieval Methods Group and a member of the NICE Public Health Information Reference Group and the Public Health Wales Observatory Expert Advisory Group.

Testimonials:

• “Very useful – provides help for not only those doing/planning to do  systematic reviews, but also lots of general research skills essential for quality research.”
• “Definitely recommend it. Very useful for a wide range of research positions. I feel my research skills have developed extensively.”
• “A good course not only for systematic reviews, but also to learn general techniques for acquiring and organising research data and planning any research.”

Not quite what you were looking for? We may be able to develop a bespoke course more suited to your needs. Please contact us for further information.