Integrative Review Capstone Toolkit

Integrative reviews are a form of evidence synthesis. The purpose of evidence synthesis is to use formal, explicit, rigorous research methods to bring together the findings of already completed studies (also known as "meta-research")¹

Like all evidence syntheses, integrative reviews…

• have a focused review question
• use a structured and comprehensive search strategy to identify all the relevant evidence from the literature 

Unlike other types of evidence synthesis, integrative reviews:

• Serve a wider range of purposes:
  • Define concepts
  • Review theories
  • Analyze methodological issues
• Can include a wider range of literature types:
  • experimental and non-experimental research
  • qualitative and quantitative research
  • theoretical and empirical literature
     

1. Gough, D., Davies, P., Jamtvedt, G., Langlois, E., Littell, J., Lotfi, T., Masset, E., Merlin, T., Pullin, A. S., Ritskes-Hoitinga, M., Røttingen, J.-A., Sena, E., Stewart, R., Tovey, D., White, H., Yost, J., Lund, H., & Grimshaw, J. (2020). Evidence Synthesis International (ESI): Position statement. Systematic Reviews, 9(1), 155. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-020-01415-5

2. Sutton, A., Clowes, M., Preston, L., & Booth, A. (2019). Meeting the review family: Exploring review types and associated information retrieval requirements. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 36(3), 202–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12276

The process of conducting an integrative review can be generally organized into 6 major phases:

1. Formulation of a Review Question / Objective
2. Systematic Search and Selection of Literature
3. Critical Appraisal of Included Literature
4. Extraction, Analysis, and Synthesis of Data from Included Literature
5. Discussion of Findings & Conclusions
6. Dissemination of Findings (Writing and Publishing the Review)

Summaries, tips and tools regarding the core activities and expected outcomes from each of these 6 phases can be found in the pages to the left.

The following published guidance has been used to shape the content of this research guide.

IRMAT (Integrative Review Methodology Appraisal Tool)

The IRMAT is an appraisal tool, meant to help readers of integrative reviews evaluate the rigor and reporting transparency in a published integrative review.  If you are working on conducting an integrative review, it can be a helpful guide for ensuring that you are considering and documenting the elements necessary for a high quality integrative review.