Following inclusion and exclusion of records for a systematic review, management of study data becomes a priority as researchers must compile, extract, and synthesize data elements from all included studies. This involves obtaining detailed information from each study, tabulating results within evidence tables, and pooling together high-level overviews of included studies.
The type of data to compile and synthesize will depend on the type of analysis you are doing. In many cases this will focus on study outcomes, but it can also include methodology and intervention characteristics. Below are a list of things to consider:
Eligibility Criteria
Participant Characteristics
Intervention and Comparison
Study Methodology
Results
Prmary conclusions
The Cochrane Collaboration offers detailed guides on this process in Chapter 5 of its Handbook for Systematic Reviews.
Furthermore, the PRISMA Statement provides reporting guidelines for the data collection and extraction process. Special attention should be paid to the below items.
Item 10: Data Collection Process
Item 11: Data Items
Item 13: Summary Measures
Item 18: Study Characteristics
Item 20: Results of Individual Studies
