This guide adopts the definition of a systematic review proposed by Cochrane, which describes it as a type of literature review based on an explicit, comprehensive, and reproducible method designed to minimize bias.
However, in fields such as management and the social sciences, the term systematic review is often used differently. It does not necessarily refer to a specific format (e.g., meta-analysis), but rather to the degree of systematicity and transparency applied to the literature review process.
In this broader sense, many types of literature reviews — including realist reviews, meta-syntheses, or conceptual reviews — may be considered systematic, provided their methodology is rigorous, explicit, and reproducible.
This distinction is examined in depth by Paré et al. (2016), a useful resource for better situating your own research project within the landscape of different approaches to literature reviews.
Référence
Paré, G., Tate, M., Johnstone, D., & Kitsiou, S. (2016). Contextualizing the twin concepts of systematicity and transparency in information systems literature reviews. European Journal of Information Systems, 25(6), Récupéré de 10.1057/s41303-016-0020-3
