PsyD Systematic Reviews

A systematic review is a type of review that gathers all of the available evidence matching pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a specific research question. It uses explicit, systematic methods, documented in a protocol, to minimize bias, provide reliable findings, and inform decision-making. (Cochrane)

A systematic review attempts to collate all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question. The key characteristics of a systematic review are:

• a clearly defined question with inclusion and exclusion criteria;
• a rigorous and systematic search of the literature;
• two phases of screening (blinded, at least two independent screeners);
• data extraction and management;
• analysis and interpretation of results;
• risk of bias assessment of included studies;
• and report for publication.

The purpose of this Learning and Research Guide is to support students throughout the entire PsyD program. 

The average systematic review takes 1,168 hours to complete.¹ 
A librarian can help you speed up the process.

GSEP Librarians can help with...

• Background information and resources on the systematic review process
• Find existing evidence syntheses and protocols to inform your own protocol development.
• Identify relevant databases and grey literature resources in which to conduct literature searches related to your topic.
• Design and implement complex, comprehensive search strategies to maximize retrieval of relevant studies.
• Create search alerts to ensure that new studies are found while the evidence synthesis is in progress.
• Use systematic review software, such as Covidence, to manage the study gathering and selection process.
• Understand how to retrieve full-text articles, and track down hard-to-find full text articles for screening and review.
• Guidance on the methods section of your review for publication, to ensure clarity and transparency of the search process.

1. Your research question with key PICO (or other framework) questions delineated. 
2. Full list of keywords 
3. Background and Rationale 
4. 5-10 "seed" studies that you would find in the systematic search 

Please send this information in advance when you make the appointment. 

You can schedule a consultation with a GSEP librarian here (Gabrielle Riter, Erik Helton, and Isabel Morales). Meetings must be booked at least 24 hours in advance. 

If times listed on the calendar do not work for you, please email the librarians directly. 

Gabrielle Riter (West LA Campus) – gabrielle.riter@pepperdine.edu

Erik Helton (Drescher Campus) – erik.helton@pepperdine.edu

Isabel Morales (Irvine Campus) – isabel.morales2@pepperdine.edu

Prior to the consultation, please send your materials to the librarian. For a list of materials needed, see "Getting Started" above.