Synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) in systematic reviews: reporting guideline
BMJPublished 16 January 2020Open access
Mhairi Campbell, Joanne E. McKenzie, Amanda Sowden, Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi, Sue Brennan, Simon Ellis
Citations3,939
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.98
SNIP9.45
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TL;DR
The development of theSWiM guideline for the synthesis of quantitative data of intervention effects is described and the nine SWiM reporting items with accompanying explanations and examples are presented.
Abstract
In systematic reviews that lack data amenable to meta-analysis, alternative synthesis methods are commonly used, but these methods are rarely reported. This lack of transparency in the methods can cast doubt on the validity of the review findings. The Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) guideline has been developed to guide clear reporting in reviews of interventions in which alternative synthesis methods to meta-analysis of effect estimates are used. This article describes the development of the SWiM guideline for the synthesis of quantitative data of intervention effects and presents the nine SWiM reporting items with accompanying explanations and examples.
Keywords
Social SciencesDecision SciencesHealth Professions
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