Protocol Registration Before starting the review, researchers should register their protocol in a publicly accessible database like PROSPERO. This step enhances transparency and helps prevent selective reporting.
Comprehensive Search Strategy A comprehensive search strategy should be developed to identify all relevant studies. Multiple databases should be searched, and the search terms should be clearly defined. Researchers should also consider grey literature to minimize publication bias.
Data Extraction and Quality Assessment Standardized forms should be used for data extraction. Multiple reviewers should independently extract data and assess the quality of the included studies to reduce the risk of bias.
Statistical Analysis Appropriate statistical methods should be used to synthesize the data. Heterogeneity among studies should be assessed, and sensitivity analyses should be conducted to evaluate the robustness of the findings.
