Course description
This masterclass provides a comprehensive introduction to conducting systematic and scoping literature reviews in health and wellness research. Participants will learn how to formulate research questions, design search strategies, manage references, screen articles, extract data, assess quality, and synthesize findings. The course emphasizes practical application using real-world health research scenarios relevant to the African context.
Whether you are an undergraduate/graduate student, researcher, or health professional, this masterclass will equip you with the foundational skills to conduct credible, reproducible literature reviews that inform evidence-based practice and policy.
Learning outcomes
Formulate answerable research questions
Design effective database search strategies
Use reference management software (Zotero/Mendeley)
Apply PRISMA guidelines for reporting
Assess study quality using standardized tools
Synthesize findings through narrative or thematic analysis
Identify gaps for future research
Write a publishable literature review section
Curriculum
- Types of reviews: narrative, scoping, systematic, rapid
- Formulating research questions (PICO/PEO frameworks)
- Developing a review protocol
- Ethics and transparency in literature reviews
- Assignment: Draft a review question and protocol outline
- Key databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, African Journals Online
- Building search strings with Boolean operators
- Controlled vocabulary (MeSH terms, Emtree)
- Grey literature and hand-searching techniques
- Assignment: Execute and document a comprehensive search
- Title/abstract screening criteria
- Full-text eligibility assessment
- PRISMA flow diagram documentation
- Designing data extraction forms
- Assignment: Screen articles and complete extraction form
- Critical appraisal tools (CASP, ROBINS-I, AMSTAR)
- Assessing risk of bias
- Narrative synthesis techniques
- Thematic analysis for qualitative reviews
- Assignment: Appraise 3 studies and synthesize findings
- Structuring a literature review chapter or article
- Writing with clarity and argumentation
- Citing sources and avoiding plagiarism
- Journal selection and submission tips
- Final project: Complete literature review draft
Tools you'll learn
