How to Write a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) for Your Thesis

If you’re a Master’s or PhD student in Kenya, you’ve likely encountered the term “systematic literature review” (SLR). Unlike the traditional literature review that many students are familiar with, an SLR follows a rigorous, transparent, and replicable methodology that sets it apart as the gold standard for evidence synthesis. For many postgraduate programs, an SLR is no longer optional—it’s a required component of your thesis that demonstrates your ability to critically evaluate existing research and identify genuine gaps in knowledge.

Writing an SLR can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re juggling coursework, research, and personal responsibilities. The good news is that with the right structure and guidance, the process becomes manageable. This guide walks you through every stage of the SLR process—from writing your protocol to synthesizing your findings.

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What Is a Systematic Literature Review?

A systematic literature review is a review that uses pre-determined and objective methodology to identify, select, and evaluate articles that address a stated research question. Its purpose is to synthesize current knowledge, identify gaps, and highlight common sources of bias and limitations in existing research.

What makes an SLR different from a narrative or traditional literature review is its transparency, replicability, and systematic nature. While a traditional review might reflect the author’s personal selection of sources, an SLR follows a clearly documented process that another researcher could replicate to arrive at similar results. This is why SLRs determine, assess, and synthesize all available research pertinent to a specific research query—not just the studies that conveniently support a particular argument.

Originally developed in health sciences, SLRs are now used across disciplines including management, social sciences, education, and business.

The SLR Process: An Overview

The systematic process involves searching, screening, and reporting existing literature using a transparent and reproducible method. The key stages are:

Writing a protocol
Conducting the search
Screening records
Data extraction
Quality assessment
Synthesis and reporting

Let’s examine each stage in detail.

Step 1: Write a Protocol

A protocol is a plan for your review that clarifies your research question and outlines the stages of the project. It is your roadmap and must be written before you begin searching.

What to include in your protocol:

Research question(s)
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Databases to search
Search strings
Screening stages
Data extraction plan
Synthesis method

Common mistakes to avoid:

Writing the protocol after searching (this defeats its purpose)
Being too vague with criteria (e.g., “recent articles” instead of “peer-reviewed journal articles in English published between 2015 and 2025”)
Leaving the synthesis section blank
Not getting supervisor sign-off

Published systematic reviews register their protocols on PROSPERO, while scoping review protocols can be registered on OSF.

Step 2: Develop Your Research Question and Criteria

Formulating a Strong Research Question

Use question frameworks such as PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) or SPIDER (Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type). The research question should inform your search strategy, screening, extraction, and synthesis plans.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Clear, easy-to-apply criteria that cover the reasons why you would include or exclude a study. Common criteria categories include population, intervention or exposure, outcomes of interest, geography, language, date, and study type. Record reasons for exclusion based on your criteria.

Step 3: Conducting the Search

Selecting Databases

Search a minimum of three databases and search each one independently.

Health/Medicine: MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, Embase
Social Sciences: APA PsycInfo, ERIC, Scopus, Web of Science
Business/Management: Business Source Ultimate (EBSCO), JSTOR, ProQuest One Business
Multidisciplinary: Scopus, Web of Science, Academic Search Complete

Google Scholar is not recommended as a primary database due to lack of transparency and replicability. It can be useful for supplementary scoping only.

Grey Literature

Grey literature refers to literature not formally published: dissertations, reports, conference proceedings, government publications, and preprints. Including it reduces publication bias and ensures comprehensive evidence. Sources include ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, OSF Preprints, arXiv, government websites, and professional associations.

Constructing Search Strings

Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine terms. For example:

(“sustainability reporting” OR “CSR disclosure”) AND (“SME” OR “small firm“) AND (Europe*)

Adapt your search string to each database’s specific syntax. Use controlled vocabulary (subject headings) where available.

Setting Up a Search Logbook

Maintain a running record of every search action. Record the database searched, date, search string used, filters applied, number of results, and notes. This logbook feeds directly into your PRISMA flow diagram.

Other Search Strategies

Backward citation tracking: Looking through sources cited by your included sources
Forward citation tracking: Looking through sources that cite your included sources
Hand searching: Manually reviewing key journals

Step 4: Screening Records

The Screening Process

Stage 1: Title screening – Assess relevance based on titles alone
Stage 2: Abstract screening – Include abstracts and keywords
Stage 3: Full-text screening – Read full texts to confirm eligibility

Each excluded record should be justified by specific criteria.

Recording the Process

Use a PRISMA Flow Diagram to document the number of records identified, screened, excluded, and included. Clearly designate each step and the number of excluded records.

Step 5: Data Extraction and Quality Assessment

Data Extraction

Extract descriptive and quantitative data from included studies. Your descriptive table should include authors’ names, publication date, and study characteristics. Your quantitative table should include sample characteristics and statistical measures of association.

Quality Assessment

Different tools are available for observational or quasi-experimental designs. Results are used to weigh the quality of evidence during synthesis.

Step 6: Synthesis and Reporting

Synthesis Methods

Narrative synthesis: Used when meta-analysis is not possible due to heterogeneity
Meta-analysis: Statistical pooling of results across studies

Using the PRISMA 2020 Statement

The PRISMA 2020 statement is the updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. It includes a 27-item checklist, expanded checklist, abstract checklist, and revised flow diagrams. Use PRISMA early in the writing process to ensure all items are addressed. Templates are available at http://www.prisma-statement.org/.

Structure of the SLR Thesis

Introduction: Motivate the review, explain gaps in previous synthesis efforts, connect to theoretical frameworks
Methods: Describe search strategy, screening, extraction, and synthesis with replicable detail
Results: Present findings, flow diagram, study characteristics, and synthesis results
Discussion: Interpret findings, discuss implications, limitations, and future research
Conclusion: Summarize key findings and contributions

AI Tools for SLR

AI tools can assist with literature search, screening, and data extraction. Tools like Litmaps, Research Rabbit, and Connected Papers help with citation mapping, while Rayyan supports screening. However, final interpretation, argumentation, and theoretical development must be overseen by domain experts.

Conclusion

Writing a systematic literature review is a demanding but rewarding process. By following a transparent, replicable methodology—from protocol development and systematic searching to screening with a PRISMA flow diagram and rigorous synthesis—you produce a review that carries real weight in your field. The SLR provides a high level of confidence in answering your research question and demonstrates your capacity as a research scholar.

Remember, the SLR is not just a hurdle to clear—it’s an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to your discipline by synthesizing evidence in a way that no one has done before.

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