What is the formulation of the research question in systematic review - Pubrica
                     WHAT IS THE  
FORMULATION OF THE  
RESEARCH QUESTION  
IN SYSTEMATIC 
REVIEW
An Academic presentation by
Dr. Nancy Agens, Head, Technical Operations, 
Pubrica  Group: www.pubrica.com
Email: [email protected]
Today's 
Discussion
Outlin In brief
e Introductio
n  PICO  
SPIDER  
SPICE  
ECLIPSE
Conclusion
In 
Brief
Formulating a research question is the challenging task for a  
researcher while initiating a systematic review. This article explains 
 the different frameworks available for formulating a high-quality  
research question which includes PICO, SPIDER, SPICE,  
ECLIPSE. A well-formulated research question needs to have  
extreme specificity and preciseness that guides the 
implementation  of the systematic review while keeping in mind the 
identification of  variables and population of interest.
Introductio
n
The first step in executing a Systematic Review is to formulate the research question.
Without formulating a well-focused research question, it can be challenging and time- 
 consuming to identify suitable studies and search for relevant evidence.
Practitioners of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) often use a specialized framework, 
 called PICO, to form the question and facilitate the literature search.
A systematic review question typically focused on narrow parameters and usually 
 fitted into the PICO question format.
PIC
O
P – Patient | Population | Problem
Most important characteristics of patients. Examples: Gender, age, and disease or condition.
I – Intervention or exposure
Main intervention. Examples: Drug treatment, diagnostic and screening test.
C – Comparison or Control
Main alternative. Examples: Standard therapy, placebo, no treatment and gold standard.
O – Outcome measures
For quantitative systematic review question formation, PICO can be used along with the  
variant such as PICOS (S-Study design), PICOC (C-Context), and PICOT (T-timeframe).
Contd..
Table 1: 
Search  
Strategy
Contd
..
Systematic review questions may be broad or narrow in focus, but it is essential 
 to formulate the research question with care to avoid lacking relevant studies  
or collecting a potentially biased result set.
SPIDER
S – Sample
A qualitative research study is not easy to generalize as the sample is preferred 
 over a patient.
PI – Phenomenon of Interest
Rather than interventions, it looks at the reasons for behaviour and decisions.
D – Design
The type of research through interview or survey.
E – Evaluation  
Outcome measures.
R – Research type
Quantitative, 
qualitative and 
mixed methods
SPICE
S – Setting (Where?)
Based on the location or environment relevant to the research.
P – Perspective or Population (for Whom?) 
 The type of people that are being studied.
I – Intervention (What?)
The intervention, practice or treatment that 
are used for evaluation.
C – Comparison (compared with what?)
An intervention with which the author 
compares the above comparator.
E – Evaluation (with what result?)
The hypothetical result that is intended to 
evaluate.
ECLIPSE
E – Expectation
Improvement, Information or Innovation.
C – Client group
At whom the service is aimed.
L – Location
where is the service located?
I – Impact 
 
Outcomes
P – Professionals
who is involved in providing or improving the service?
Contd
..
Se – Service
For which service are you looking for information.
Once you have a defined research question, it is essential to make sure your 
 research is original, and it is not already addressed.
It can be identified through a thorough search in the systematic review databases 
 (such as Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PROSPERO, and  
Systematic Review Da ta Repository (SRDR)) and be sure to check with  
published reviews as well as registered protocols.
Conclusio
n
A well-designed research question is a starting point in conducting a high-quality  sy
stematic review, as it will determine the nature and scope of the systematic review,  
and there are several frameworks available for formulating a research questing and 
 search for a new finding.
Once the research question formulation is done, it is very much necessary to check with 
 the database to avoid repetition.
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