Template for a Systematic Literature Review Protocol

The present document aims to facilitate the preparation and writing of a protocol for a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) study. The document is a simplified template, mostly based on the Generalised Systematic Review Registration Form (van den Akker et al., 2020), and designed to be sufficiently compliant with the PRISMA for systematic review protocols (PRISMA-P) (Shamseer et al., 2015). It also contains references or links to other key works or supportive information pages.

The template is designed for both educational and research purposes. In education, the template is expected to contribute to the learning goal of planning, conducting, and reporting a SLR study. In research, the template is intended to be of use for those who require a starting structure for their study protocol. Researchers should keep in mind that a SLR protocol always needs to be customised according to specific study goals. Likewise, a protocol might need to be adjusted to the requirements of a preregistration platform. Therefore, in the present template it is expected that the guiding information is eventually removed as well as any irrelevant sections (including this one). When suitable, new, or more specific sections should be added.