What is the primary purpose of conducting a systematic review in research?

The primary purpose of conducting a systematic review in research is to appraise and synthesize all relevant literature on a specific topic. Systematic reviews are designed to gather all existing evidence on a particular question, following a rigorous methodology that minimizes bias and ensures comprehensive coverage of the available literature. By compiling studies that meet pre-defined criteria, systematic reviews provide a high-level overview that can inform practice guidelines, clinical decision-making, and future research directions based on the accumulated evidence.

This approach contrasts with simply summarizing various studies, which may not adequately account for methodological strengths or weaknesses, or biases inherent in individual studies. While evaluating the effectiveness of a clinical practice and developing new concepts may be outcomes of reviewing literature, the overarching goal of a systematic review remains focused on synthesizing existing research to produce a reliable overview of the topic at hand.