Editorial: Review Articles, Systematic Reviews, Meta-Analysis, and the Updated Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 Guidelines

Subjective narrative review articles have an educational and informative role in medical and scientific journals. Systematic review of the literature requires an objective and complete review of all available publications on an identified topic. Systematic review that undergoes meta-analysis aims to provide a complete and objective evaluation of all the published data. Data from systematic review and meta-analysis publications support evidence-based medical practice and are prepared as original research articles. These studies require a clear aim and detailed planning with registration and approval of the study protocol before the study commences. Systematic review and meta-analysis studies are designed, conducted, and reported according to mandatory guidelines. The number of these publications has continued to rise during the past decade. However, concerns with the quality of the studies have resulted in more stringent study guidelines. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, guidelines, reporting checklist, and study flow diagram from 2009 were updated and published in March 2021 as PRISMA 2020. The Editorial aims to present the roles and requirements of subjective narrative review articles, systematic review of the literature, and systematic review and meta-analysis, and introduces the revisions and aims of the PRISMA 2020 guidelines.

Automated summary

Subjective narrative review articles play an educational and informative role in medical and scientific journals. Systematic review and meta-analysis aim to provide an objective evaluation of all published data, supporting evidence-based medical practice. These studies require clear aims, detailed planning, and adherence to mandatory guidelines for design, conduct, and reporting.