A Brief History of the Systematic Review

The current status of the systematic review is the result of a long-term evolution of methods rather than a single newly developed approach. Understanding how the review process has developed is useful in making sense of review methods and the broader landscape of the systematic review. In health and social care, there are three main organisations responsible for overseeing these processes: Cochrane, JBI, and the Campbell Collaboration. This chapter introduces these organisations and examines them in a historical context. It also looks at related issues such as the development of the GRADE Working Group, and the rise of patient and public involvement in the review process.