When faced with any question, being able to conduct a robust systematic review of the literature is an important skill for any researcher to develop; allowing identification of the current literature, its limitations, quality and potential.
In addition to potentially answering the question, the information will give guidance to the planning and suggestion of the value of novel research.
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Significant experimental endeavours should be preceded by a comprehensive review of the subject and should exhibit the same rigour as any laboratory experiment in the assessment of both quantitative and qualitative data.
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Recent decades have seen the replacement of authoritative reviews by fully systematic assessment of the literature. Enthusiasts of the authoritative/opinionated review would argue that this method allows the reviewer to negate poorly conducted research from both quantitative and qualitative consideration, but such a method inappropriately allows the biased, imprecise and ‘unreliable’ presentation of evidence.
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Poorly conducted systematic reviews can mislead just like any other experimental study, yet meticulous planning and execution of the study design can minimise the compromising factors.