SR

Systematic Reviews

Systematic Reviews publishes evidence syntheses in clinical, pre-clinical and other health-related fields and associated methodology. It covers a growing range of review types and accepts full systematic, rapid, scoping and realist reviews regardless of the significance of the findings, provided they are methodologically rigorous. The journal also welcomes submissions of review results, protocols, articles and commentaries on review methodology.

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Subject Medicine, General & Internal
Impact Factor 3.9
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Open
eISSN 2046-4053
Invitation Only Yes
Cost Range APC: £2390.00 GBP / $3190.00 USD / €2690.00 EUR, plus VAT or local taxes where applicable.

Submission Instructions

Systematic Reviews is an invitation-only journal. Submissions are accepted by invitation from the editorial board only. The following article types are accepted:

Research

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. The cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published in Systematic Reviews, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must include the headings Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions, and Systematic review registration.
Manuscript Manuscript must include a Declarations section with the required subheadings, and the title page must include a title with the study design if appropriate, all authors’ full names, institutional addresses and email addresses, and the corresponding author. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, define abbreviations at first use and provide a list of abbreviations, and include 'Not applicable' under any Declarations subheading that is not relevant.
References References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and public preprints may be cited, unpublished abstracts/data/personal communications must be excluded from the reference list, journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE, and URLs must be numbered and listed as full references with site title, full URL, and access date.
Figures & Tables The PRISMA flow diagram must be included in the main text and referenced in the text, the PRISMA checklist must be submitted as an additional file and referenced in the text, figures must be uploaded separately with titles and legends provided in the manuscript, and tables shorter than one page may be placed in the manuscript while longer tables may be placed at the end of the text file. Figures must be numbered in order of first mention and multi-panel figures submitted as a single composite file, while tables must be numbered in sequence and created using the word processor’s table function rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheets.
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Protocol

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved submission, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must include the headings Background, Methods, Discussion, Registration, and, if registered, Systematic review registration.
Manuscript Manuscript must include Background, Methods/Design, Discussion, and a Declarations section, and protocol articles should provide a detailed account of the hypothesis, rationale, and methodology of the study. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords and a Declarations section with the subheadings Ethics approval and consent to participate, Consent for publication, Availability of data and materials, Competing interests, Funding, Authors' contributions, and Acknowledgements, using 'Not applicable' where a subheading is not relevant.
References References must use Vancouver style. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and public preprints may be cited, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must be excluded from the reference list, and web links or URLs must be cited by reference number in the reference list with full site title, URL, and access date.
Figures & Tables Figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript, tables under one page may be placed within the manuscript, and tables over one page may be placed at the end of the document with their intended location indicated in the text. Figures must be uploaded separately in the order first cited with multipart figures as a single composite file, and tables must not be embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
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Systematic Review Update

Cover Letter Cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published in Systematic Reviews, explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract Abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words. Abstract structure type is not specified. Abstract must briefly summarize the aim, findings, or purpose of the article.
Manuscript Manuscript must include a title page with the title, corresponding author, and all authors’ full names and institutional addresses, and it must include a Declarations section. Manuscript must acknowledge and reference any previously published work being updated, include three to ten keywords, document any Large Language Model use in the Methods section or another suitable section, and include Declarations subheadings for Ethics approval and consent to participate, Consent for publication, Availability of data and materials, Competing interests, Funding, Authors' contributions, and Acknowledgements with 'Not applicable' used when a section is irrelevant.
References References must follow Vancouver style. Web links and URLs must be cited by reference number and included in the reference list, web references with identifiable authors must name those authors, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list, and journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE.
Figures & Tables Figures must be uploaded separately in the order first mentioned in the text, figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript rather than the graphic file, tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, and tables longer than one page may be placed at the end with callouts in the text. Multi-panel figures must be submitted as a single composite file, tables must not be embedded as figures or spreadsheet files, and tables must be created using the word processor’s table function.
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Letter To The Editor

Cover Letter Cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved submission, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract Abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words. Abstract structure is not specified beyond briefly summarizing the aim, findings, or purpose of the article and avoiding references. No mandatory abstract headings are specified.
Manuscript Main text must contain the body of the article, and the manuscript must include a title page plus a 'Declarations' heading with all listed sections retained even when marked 'Not applicable'. Letters to the Editor must include three to ten keywords, and manuscripts must include Declarations sections for Availability of data and materials, Competing interests, Funding, Authors' contributions, Acknowledgements, and the other listed headings, with Authors' information optional.
References References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and public preprints may be cited, unpublished abstracts/data/personal communications must be excluded from the reference list, journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE, and URLs must appear as numbered references with full site title, URL, and access date.
Figures & Tables Figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript rather than in the graphic file, tables shorter than one page can be placed within the manuscript, and longer tables can be placed at the end with in-text placement indicated. Figures must be numbered in order and multi-panel figures submitted as a single composite file, while tables must be numbered in sequence and created using the word processor's table function rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
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Recent Publications

Benralizumab in severe eosinophilic asthma: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials evaluating lung function, asthma control, and safety outcomes

Abbas Al Mutair, Yasmine Alabbasi, Hanan F. Alharbi, Hanan Alyami, Haifa Mohmmed Al-Shammari, Abdullah Awad Al-Omari, Eman A. Bomozah, Faiza Aljarameez, Muhammad Daniyal

10.1186/s13643-026-03215-9
View Publication

Acupuncture for vascular mild cognitive impairment: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

An-Qi Cai, Le-Yan Hu, Yi-Ying Wang, Shuai Dong, Bo Li, Guo-Yan Yang, Jian-Ping Liu, Hui-Juan Cao

10.1186/s13643-026-03207-9
View Publication

Correction: Impact of alcohol consumption, substance use, and smoking on treatment outcomes in tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Bahram Heshmati, Sanaz Omidi, Younes Mohammadi

10.1186/s13643-026-03210-0
View Publication

Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for weight stigma and related psychological outcomes: a systematic review protocol

Fanfan Cao, Huan Wen, Xiangmin Tan, Nan Hua, QingYi Wu, Mei Sun

10.1186/s13643-026-03205-x
View Publication

Correction: Treatment effects of psychological interventions on self‑harm in individuals with PTSD: a systematic review and meta‑analysis protocol

Anthony Tsang, Caroline Clements, Catherine Robinson, Peter J. Taylor

10.1186/s13643-026-03211-z
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

Submission to first decision (median): 77 days.

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Is a cover letter required?

A cover letter is required. It should explain why the manuscript should be published in Systematic Reviews, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the manuscript for submission, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable. Authors may also suggest preferred and non-preferred peer reviewers in the cover letter.

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What are the publication costs?

An article processing charge applies for each accepted article. The current APC is £2390.00 GBP / $3190.00 USD / €2690.00 EUR, plus VAT or local taxes where applicable. Waivers and discounts may be available.

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Research Topics

Meta-analysis and systematic reviews Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life Health Policy Implementation Science Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet Delphi Technique in Research Global Maternal and Child Health Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation Health Sciences Research and Education Primary Care and Health Outcomes Clinical practice guidelines implementation Cardiac, Anesthesia and Surgical Outcomes HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions Physical Activity and Health Health disparities and outcomes Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery Child Nutrition and Water Access Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research Chronic Disease Management Strategies Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum Infant Development and Preterm Care Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Mental Health and Patient Involvement Blood Pressure and Hypertension Studies Mobile Health and mHealth Applications

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