Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2019 Jul 15;8(1):170.
doi: 10.1186/s13643-019-1089-2.

Clarifying differences between reviews within evidence ecosystems

David Gough  1 , James Thomas  2 , Sandy Oliver  2   3
Affiliations
Editorial

Clarifying differences between reviews within evidence ecosystems

David Gough et al. Syst Rev. .

Abstract

This paper builds on a 2012 paper by the same authors which argued that the types and brands of systematic review do not sufficiently differentiate between the many dimensions of different review questions and review methods (Gough et al., Syst Rev 1:28, 2012). The current paper extends this argument by considering the dynamic contexts, or 'evidence ecosystems', within which reviews are undertaken; the fact that these ecosystems are constantly changing; and the relevance of this broader context for understanding 'dimensions of difference' in the unfolding development and refinement of review methods.The concept of an evidence ecosystem is used to consider particular issues within the three key dimensions of difference outlined in the 2012 paper of (1) review aims and approach, (2) structure and components of reviews, and (3) breadth, depth, and 'work done' by reviews.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Evidence use ecosystem analytical framework [5]
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
‘Dimensions of difference’ in approaches to synthesis [2]
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Map of personal development planning research: research method by country [47]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gough D, Thomas J, Oliver S. Clarifying differences between review designs and methods. Syst Rev. 2012;1:28. doi: 10.1186/2046-4053-1-28. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gough D, Oliver S, Thomas J. An introduction to systematic reviews: 2nd Edition. London: Sage; 2017.
    1. Best A, Holmes B. Systems thinking, knowledge and action: towards better models and methods’, Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research. Debate and Pract. 2010;6(2):145–159. doi: 10.1332/174426410X502284. - DOI
    1. Nowotny H. The potential of transdisciplinarity. Available at: http://www.helga-nowotny.eu/downloads/helga_nowotny_b59.pdf
    1. Gough D, Maidment C, Sharples J (2018). UK What Works Centres: aims, methods and contexts. London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education, University College London. ISBN: 978-1-911605-03-4

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources