Methods for Systematic Review, from Idea to Project Plan

Third-cycle level | 4.5 credits (HEC) | Course code: H1F5555
HT 2024
Study period: 2024-09-02 - 2024-11-08
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: The course is given in English
Application period: 2024-04-15 - 2024-05-06
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Course description

Systematic literature reviews are important for summarizing preceding scientific knowledge and experiences, and for identifying potential knowledge gaps. In this course you are introduced to the methodology of research synthesis, and hopefully gain skills for performing systematic reviews. You will be reading a lot of studies in your field of research and are learning to evaluate them critically. You will be trained in how to search for relevant literature with the help of professional librarians. 

Content:
• Introduction to methods of systematic literature review.
• Formulation of a research question according to PICO (population, intervention, control, outcome), PEO (Population, exponering/diagnos, outcome), SPICE (setting, population, intervention, comparison, evaluation) or other structure.
• Choose of appropriate reporting tool (e.g. PRISMA; STROBE)
• Search string construction
• Study quality assessment using different risk of bias tools
• Setting up a protocol (PM), with focuses on an aspect of relevance to the participant’s own doctoral project.
• Critical evaluation and discussion of weaknesses and strengths in their own and co-students’ protocols and reviews.

The course is a digital part-time course and includes 2 blocks (1-3 days each), and a final seminar day. Teaching and learning activities include lectures, independent work, peer-learning by evaluation of others’ work and group discussions. 

For the final seminar, the participant writes an individual PM (PROSPERO) describing the methods that are planned to be used to answer the research question regarding the chosen components (search strategy, quality assessment, etc), and a co-student’s examination assignment is discussed.

This course has both digital and physical/hybrid lectures at Campus Flemingsberg. Final version of PM handed in one week after the final seminar.

Prerequisites and Selection

Prerequisite courses, or equivalent

No prerequisite courses, or equivalent, demanded for this course. 

Selection

Selection will be based on:  
1) the relevance of the course syllabus for the applicant’s doctoral project (according to written motivation). 
2) start date of doctoral studies (priority given to earlier start date). 

or 

See Swedish version. 

Course director

Wim Grooten, associate professor

Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Physiotherapy

Arbete: 08-52488861

Mobil: 0735832995

Email: Wim.Grooten@ki.se

Course syllabus

H1F5555

Department

Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society

Doctoral programme

Health Care Science (Puf-V)

Type of course

**Other course

Keywords

Literature review, litteraturoversikt

CONTACTWim Grooten
08 524 888 61
Wim.Grooten@ki.se