To screen results in literature searching for a systematic review or other comprehensive literature review, follow the steps below.
Screening Titles and Abstracts
After running your searches across all relevant databases and exporting the results to a reference management software or Excel spreadsheet, de-duplicate the full set of results to remove any duplicate records.
Screen the titles and abstracts of the remaining results against your predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. This initial screening should remove any clearly irrelevant studies.
For Systematic Reviews which are conducted by a team of researchers - it is recommended to have at least two reviewers independently screen titles and abstracts to reduce bias. Resolve any disagreements through discussion.
Screening Full Texts
Obtain the full texts of the studies that passed the title and abstract screening stage. This may involve using library services like inter-library loans if your institution does not have access.
Carefully read the full texts and apply your inclusion and exclusion criteria again. At this stage, provide specific reasons for excluding any studies that do not meet the criteria. Again, it is best practice to have two independent reviewers screen the full texts, comparing results and resolving conflicts if you are working as part of a researcher team.
The screening process aims to identify all relevant studies for the review in an unbiased, transparent manner following the predetermined protocol. Thorough screening at both the title/abstract and full-text levels is crucial for a high-quality systematic review.