Systematic Reviews and Other Evidence Synthesis Types Guide

An evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses, PRISMA primarily focuses on the reporting of reviews evaluating the effects of interventions, but can also be used as a basis for reporting systematic reviews with objectives other than evaluating interventions (e.g. evaluating etiology, prevalence, diagnosis or prognosis). The PRISMA 2020 Statement is accompanied by the PRISMA 2020 Explanation and Elaboration paper.

The 27 checklist items pertain to the content of a systematic review and meta-analysis, which include the title, abstract, methods, results, discussion and funding. Note: As a member of the ES/SR Team, the UT Southwestern Librarian completes Item 7 (Search Strategy) in the checklist.

Published in 2018, the checklist contains 20 essential reporting items and 2 optional items to include when completing a scoping review. Review the guidelines specific to ES/SR that are listed at Evidence Synthesis – Guidelines and Resources. For questions regarding guidelines to an evidence synthesis not listed, contact the Library using the Ask Us form.