Overview

Systematic literature reviews (SLRs) are a structured, reproducible method for identifying and synthesizing existing research to answer a focused research question. This page will guide you through the concept and process step by step.

What Is a Systematic Literature Review?

An SLR is a scholarly synthesis of evidence on a clearly defined topic, using explicit, pre-specified methods to identify, select, critically appraise, and summarise relevant studies. Unlike ad hoc reading of literature, every decision is documented so the review can be replicated.

Minimizes selection bias through predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria
Provides the highest level of secondary evidence for a research question
Common in business research (e.g., management, HRM, strategy, marketing) theses

SLR vs. Traditional Literature Review

Feature	Traditional Literature Review	Systematic Literature Review
Research question	Broad or flexible	Narrow and pre-specified
Search strategy	Informal, author-led	Documented, reproducible
Study selection	Subjective	Governed by explicit criteria
Quality appraisal	Often absent	Mandatory
Reporting	Variable	Follows standards (e.g., PRISMA)
Replicability	Low	High

When Should You Use an SLR?

Your thesis research question asks what does the existing evidence show about X?
Your supervisor or faculty expects evidence-based synthesis (common in management, HRM, sustainability, entrepreneurship)
You have sufficient time; a rigorous SLR takes weeks to months
Note: Not every thesis requires an SLR; confirm with your supervisor first

The SLR Process: Step by Step

Step 1: Define Your Research Question / Select Framework

Review Define Your Research Question & Select Framework for more information on this topic.

Step 2: Write a Protocol

Review Writing a Protocol for more information on why it matters and what it contains.

Step 3: Conduct Your Search

Review Conducting Your Search for more information on this topic.

Before you search, use our Search Quality Self-Assessment Checklist (adapted from vom Brocke et al., 2015) to verify your search strategy meets the standards expected in a systematic review.

Step 4: Screen Results

Review Screening the Results for more information on this topic.

Step 5: Appraise Study Quality

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Review Appraise Study Quality for more information on this topic.

Step 6: Extract Data

Review Extract Data for more information on this topic.

Step 7: Synthesize and Report

Review Synthesize and Report for more information on this topic.

A Note on Process Models

Different disciplines and authors present SLR processes with slightly different stage names and orders. The seven-step structure presented here synthesises best practices from management research (Tranfield et al., 2003), software engineering (Kitchenham & Charters, 2007), and information systems (vom Brocke et al., 2015; Bandara et al., 2015). The core sequence (question → protocol → search → screen → appraise → extract → synthesise) is common across all models; differences are primarily in emphasis rather than substance.