School of Civil Engineering

Systematic
Literature
Review [SLR]
-For Chapter 2 in Thesis

Presented by
Dr. Noorhazlinda Abd Rahman
Words to Live By

"'Google' is not a synonym for 'research'".

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DAN BROWN, THE LOST SYMBOL
Presentation Outline SLR in Overview

Today's Topics SLR: Concept

SLR: Topic and Objective

SLR: Searching Strategy

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SLR: Data Extraction and Synthesis

Conclusion
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SLR in Overview
Purpose & where to apply.

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SLR is a process or methodology that can be utilized in order to:
Case 1: produce articles [publication];
Case 2: conduct a secondary research/case study;
Case 3: write and produce thesis;
Case 4: practice the systematic searching strategies for Chapter 2
of the thesis only.
SLR in Overview
Case 1 & 3:publication & thesis

A. Planning:
1. Review protocol or established guideline;
2. Formulation of research questions;
B. Conducting:
SLR process 1. Systematic searching strategies (identification,
screening and eligibility);

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2. Appraisal of quality (quality assessment criteria);
3. Data extraction and synthesis;
C. Reporting:
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1. Reporting the review (results).
SLR in Overview
Case 2:conduct a secondary research/case study

Examine existing literature review using the SLR

methodology to identify the gaps and challenges
within the current body of knowledge; and to gather

SLR as a tool/ empirical data that already existed.

technique The findings from the SLR are then used to formulate

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design principles/ conceptual framework to "solve"
problems.

Evaluate the design principle/ conceptual framework

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formulated using distinct case study.
SLR in Overview
Case 4:searching strategies for Chapter 2

SLR as
1. Systematic searching strategies (identification,
searching screening and eligibility);

strategy
2. Data extraction and synthesis;

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3. Reporting the review (depend).

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A Concept: SLR for Chapter 2
in Thesis

What is SLR?
The definition
Objectives

SLR vs. Traditional LR

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The differences

Advantages
The importance
A Concept: SLR for Chapter 2 in Thesis
What is SLR?

A research methodology designed to answer a focused

research question.

Definition A method/ process/ protocol in which a body of

literature is aggregated, reviewed and assessed by

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utilizing pre-specified and standardized techniques.

SLR is one of the many research methodologies that

can be used to conduct secondary research.
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A Concept: SLR for Chapter 2 in Thesis
What is SLR?

The objective of SLR is to confirm the rigorousness of

searching efforts conducted for chapter two.

Objective The SLR in chapter two of the thesis is a PROCESS

where it ensures that students / researchers have

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conducted a rigorous search to ensure that the
material they obtain to form a review is relevant,
quality and up-to-date [Dr. Hayrol Azril Mohamed
Shafril, 2020].
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A Concept: SLR for Chapter 2 in Thesis
SLR vs. Traditional LR
The differences

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A Concept: SLR for Chapter 2 in Thesis

Advantages
[The importance]

1. Collection from a broad range of sources.

2. Reduce bias because the rationale, the hypothesis, and the methods of data

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collection are prepared before the review and are used as a guide for
performing the process.
3. Offer a sense of rigor.
4. Increase replicability of the review.
SLR: Topic and Objectives

Topic Objectives
1. To determine the influence
Example:
of fire on local bucking
Experimental and numerical studies
that have been undertaken behaviour of CFS

in investigating the local buckling compression member;

behaviour of cold-formed steel 2. To identify design

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(CFS) compression parameter for fire design of

members under fire conditions CFS compression members.

SLR: Searching Strategy
Process to enrich the keywords.
01. Database.
IDENTIFICATION Diverse search techniques.

The filtering process based on:

02. 1. timeline;
2. publication types;

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SCREENING
3. language.

A second process in screening:

03. A process to ensure that all articles selected from the
ELIGIBILITY screening process meet the set criteria.
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SLR: Searching Strategy

Identification - to enrich the keywords

1. Derive main terms: from topic/objectives (or research questions);

2. Enrich the main terms: synonym, related and variation terms;
3. More terms (keywords), then more research articles can be obtained, hence
more papers can be reviewed.

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4. Perform searching in different database: (a) leading database; (b) supporting
database.
5. Use different techniques for searching: (a) advanced searching, (b) manual
(handpicking, snowballing, and contact author).
6. Using Boolean “OR” for synonym, related and variation terms.
7. Link main terms using Boolean “AND”;
SLR: Searching Strategy
Boolean Operator

Advanced searching :
(1) full search string;
(2) partial search string.

"OR"
synonym, related and variation terms

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Example: "compression member" OR "column" OR
"strut"

"AND"
to link main terms
Example: ("cold-formed steel") AND ("compression
member" OR "column" OR "strut")
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SLR: Searching Strategy

Screening - filtering process

1. Screening articles should be after we have identified potential articles to be

reviewed in "Identification" process.
2. The purpose of screening is to select which articles are relevant to be
reviewed.

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3. Decide relevancy to be reviewed by "include and exclude" process based on 3
criteria: (a) timeline publication; (b) publication types; (c) language.
4. Timeline publication: based on the maturity of the study.
5. Publication types: research articles, review articles, books chapter,
newspaper, encyclopedia.
6. Language: English and BM.
7. Screening can also be based on other relevant factors (according to the topic
you want to research): country, field of research, etc.
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SLR: Searching Strategy

Eligibility - 2nd phase of filtering process

1. In "Screening" process, we have "cut down" few numbers of articles to be

reviewed and we now have the relevant articles to be reviewed.
2. 2nd filtering process - read titles and abstract to confirm eligibility of the
articles to be reviewed.

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3. Finalized articles to be reviewed.
4. Should be conducted by at least 2 reviewers (e.g.: yourself and supervisor)
SLR: Searching Strategy [Full search string]

SCOPUS WEB OF SCIENCE

Example: Example:
TITLE-ABS-KEY((“influence*” OR TS=((“influence*” OR “effect*” OR
“effect*” OR “impact*” OR “impact*” OR “repercussion”
“repercussion” OR “significance”) AND (“cold-
OR “significance”) AND (“cold- formed steel”) AND (“compression
formed steel”) AND (“compression member” OR “column”

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member” OR “column” OR “strut”) AND (“buckling” OR
OR “strut”) AND (“buckling” OR “bending” OR “twisting”) AND
“bending” OR “twisting”) AND (“fire” OR “elevated
(“fire” OR “elevated temperature” OR “high
temperature” OR “high temperature”))
temperature”))
SLR: Data Extraction and Analysis

Data extraction is the process by which

researchers obtain the necessary information
about study characteristics and findings from
the included studies.
Data extraction Data extraction requirements will vary from
review to review, and the extraction forms

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should be tailored to the review question.
The first stage of any data extraction is to
plan the type of analyses and list the tables
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SLR: Data Extraction and Analysis

Qualitative synthesis of qualitative

studies (meta ethnography)
Data analysis Qualitative synthesis of quantitative
studies

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Qualitative synthesis of qualitative +
quantitative + mixed method

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Conclusion [Disadvantages]

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Requires considerably more effort and time than traditional LR
Get to Know
DR. NOORHAZLINDA ABD RAHMAN
[email protected]

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BENG. (HONS.), PHD, KYOTO
MSC, USM (2005)
UKM (1999) UNIVERSITY (2015)
Structural
Civil & Structural Engineering Crowd Dynamics and
Engineering Behaviour
References
Notes and video Dr Hayrol Azril Mohamed
Shafril

https://libguides.brown.edu/Reviews/types
https://blog.efpsa.org/2018/01/03/writing-a-
systematic-literature-review/
https://guides.dml.georgetown.edu/systematicreviews
#:~:text=Its%20aim%20is%20to%20identify,and%2
0identify%20gaps%20in%20research.

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https://s4be.cochrane.org/blog/2016/02/03/traditio
nal-reviews-vs-systematic-
reviews/#:~:text=Traditional%20reviews%20provide
%20a%20broad,clear%20methodological%20approa
ch(2).&text=Systematic%20reviews%20are%20overv
iews%20of,%2C%20methodological%20approach(3).
https://www.york.ac.uk/crd/SysRev/!SSL!/WebHelp/1
_3_UNDERTAKING_THE_REVIEW.htm