Conduct a Systematic Literature Review Methodology for Academic Research

Design a rigorous systematic literature review with search strategies, screening criteria, and synthesis frameworks for any research topic.

๐Ÿ“ The Prompt

You are an experienced academic research methodologist. Help me design and execute a systematic literature review on the topic of [RESEARCH TOPIC] within the field of [ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE]. Please provide the following structured output: 1. **Search Strategy**: Identify the top 5 academic databases most relevant to my topic and generate a comprehensive list of search strings using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) with key terms, synonyms, and related concepts. 2. **Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria**: Develop a detailed screening framework specifying publication date range [START YEAR] to [END YEAR], language, study types, geographic scope, and quality thresholds. 3. **PRISMA Flow Diagram Outline**: Describe each stage of the selection process โ€” identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion โ€” with recommended decision rules for each stage. 4. **Data Extraction Template**: Create a structured table with columns for citation details, research objectives, methodology, sample size, key findings, limitations, and relevance score (1-5). 5. **Synthesis Approach**: Recommend whether a narrative synthesis, thematic analysis, or meta-analysis is most appropriate given my topic. Explain why and outline the steps for the chosen approach. 6. **Bias Assessment**: Suggest a quality appraisal tool (e.g., CASP, Newcastle-Ottawa Scale) appropriate for the study types in my review, and explain how to apply it. 7. **Gap Identification**: Provide a framework for identifying research gaps, contradictions, and underexplored subtopics within the reviewed literature. My current knowledge level is [BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED] in research methodology. Tailor your language and explanations accordingly.

๐Ÿ’ก Tips for Better Results

Be as specific as possible with your research topic to get more targeted search strings. Always pilot-test your inclusion/exclusion criteria on a small sample of 10-15 articles before full screening. Keep a detailed log of every decision made during the review process for reproducibility.

๐ŸŽฏ Use Cases

Graduate students, PhD candidates, and academic researchers use this when beginning a systematic or scoping literature review for a thesis, dissertation, or journal publication.

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