Literature Review Vs. Systematic Review: A Scientific Comparison

Introduction

Researchers require assistance to keep up with the vast amount of published research. That’s why they seek assignment help, essay help, or SPSS help in the case of statistics or analytical assignments. Reviews that summarise the main conclusions of several studies in a particular field have shown to be effective in addressing this issue. These reviews enable researchers to learn what is effective and ineffective quickly.
Any topic of study demands a critical analysis of the body of knowledge. It entails reviewing prior research and contrasting academic publications, papers, and other pertinent materials. Literature evaluation methods include conventional literature reviews, systematic reviews, narrative reviews, and theoretical reviews. Even though literature and systematic reviews have different objectives, researchers frequently ask for clarity on both. Let's examine literature reviews and systematic reviews in more detail.

Comparison of Literature & Systematic Review

Literature Review

To address a research issue and comprehend the present level of knowledge in a particular sector, a literature review is a necessary first step. It also goes by the name "comprehensive review" to gather all pertinent data on a specific subject and offer a summary of the literature that is currently available. A literature review can spot gaps between several studies by doing this. Gathering and qualitatively assessing research sources from numerous databases is part of the procedure.
It cannot be very comforting to begin a literature review. Some of the processes in this procedure are as follows:

Define your scope of study: Determine a topic that interests you and choose a specific research question. Start by narrowing down a broad topic to focus on a specific one.
Identify the literature: Begin your search for literature sources by using keywords in databases, scholarly books, journals (such as Scopus), research articles, and Google Scholar.
Critically evaluate the literature: Pay close attention to the significant findings, methods, theories, and conflicting views present in the literature. This analysis will help you identify relationships, critical gaps, and common themes.
Organise sources: Categorise available resources based on their relevance to your research question. You can organise them chronologically by theme, methodology, or other suitable criteria.

Characteristics of the Literature Review Process

The literature review process has several characteristics:

Outlines important or recent research trends: It highlights important or recent research trends related to the studied topic.
Analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the study: It critically evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the studies done in the field.
Identifies the knowledge gap between two studies: It identifies the gap between two or more studies, highlighting areas where further research is needed.
Establishes a strong need for the current study: This establishes a compelling rationale for conducting the current study while emphasising the importance and relevance of the research.

Systematic Review

A systematic review is a carefully planned review process that thoroughly investigates a research topic using the scientific method. It goes beyond evaluating existing literature and includes the evaluation of grey literature, thesis/dissertation, and abstracts/conference proceedings. Systematic reviews are considered reliable sources because they are conducted using a rigorous and methodological approach. In this approach, search strategy, evaluation and interpretation of research are included in addition to search results.
Starting a systematic review process is indeed a challenging task. To complete this process, a researcher must follow several steps, including:

Formulating the research question: Begin by formulating a well-defined research question consistent with the study's objectives and methodology. Before finalising the question, check whether a similar research question already exists.
Identify studies: Use various sources to locate and collect relevant studies. These sources may include grey literature, scientific conference papers, databases, etc.
Evaluate studies: Assess the validity of included studies using specific criteria such as number of citations, year of publication, conflicting issues, and other relevant factors.
Collect and analyse data: Group the selected studies based on their methodological similarities. Describe the methodological approach, including variables, measurements, samples, etc. Statistical methods are then employed to integrate the systematic review results.

Features of Systematic Review Process

The systematic review process includes the following features:

States a set of objectives for the study using pre-defined eligibility criteria: Clearly outlines the objectives and criteria that studies must meet to be included in the review.
Attempts to identify studies that meet eligibility criteria: Attempts to identify studies that meet pre-defined criteria for inclusion.
Assessing the validity of significant results: Evaluates the validity and reliability of the significant findings presented in the included studies.
Synthesises and presents results of included studies: Integrates and presents results of studies that meet eligibility criteria consistently and comprehensively.

Difference Between Literature Review and Systematic Review

Two research techniques are employed in academic and scientific settings: a literature review and a systematic review. Although both entail a study of the published literature, their objectives, range, methods, and degree of rigour are the same. The critical distinctions between a literature review and a systematic review are described as follows:

Objective

Literature review: An overview, synopsis, or synthesis of prior research and academic articles on a given subject is the goal of a literature review. It aims to identify key concepts, theories, approaches, and findings to establish context and pinpoint research gaps.
Systematic Review: A systematic review examines all pertinent literature to fully address a specific research question. It carefully summarises the available evidence while adhering to preset protocols to minimise bias.

Scope

Literature review: A review frequently concentrates on a broad subject or field. Numerous sources can be cited, including books, journals, dissertations, and conference papers. The focus is typically comprehensive and less focused.
Systematic Review: A systematic review concentrates on a particular subject or issue and includes a clearly stated research question. It adhered to tight inclusion and exclusion criteria to find and examine relevant studies while assuring a more focused and narrow scope.

Modus operandi

Literature review: A literature review needs to be more organised and systematic. This frequently comprises a narrative or thematic approach, in which the reviewer groups and analyses the literature according to recurring themes, fashions, or guiding principles.
Systematic Review: A rigorous and open process is used in a systematic review. This comprised a thorough search strategy, established inclusion and exclusion standards, and a systematic evaluation of the calibre and applicability of each study. It frequently uses statistical techniques to combine and analyse data from various studies (meta-analysis).

Hardness

Literature review: A literature review could choose and interpret the literature subjectively, which makes it more biased. Despite significant efforts, investigations and synthesising results are more flexible and susceptible to interpretation.
Systematic Review: A structured and open process is used in a systematic review to reduce bias. It adheres to a predetermined methodology to guarantee a thorough and objective evaluation of the available data. It aims for reproducibility so that other researchers can conduct the review procedure again.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a literature review offers an overview and synthesis of the body of work that has already been written on a broad subject. A systematic review, on the other hand, adheres to a strict approach to respond to a particular research topic and offer a thorough and objective overview of the evidence that is currently available. Many scholars seek writing assistance to complete their reviews in the case of dissertation writing or thesis writing. Of course, this assistance helps you come over any confusion between the two discussed terms, because getting thesis consultation from professional experts help you understand the terms perfectly and sharpen your subject concepts. So yes, you can seek professional help also for any kind of academic writing task. Good luck with your research study!