STAGE 1 · PREPARATION
Before You Start
Prepare your research topic, understand the search process, and check your readiness before the hands-on workshop.
1. Participant Readiness Checklist
0 of 7 readyTick each item when ready. Your progress is stored in this browser.
2. What You Will Produce
Stage 1 outputs are summarized on the Stage 1 overview and collected in your Stage 1 Portfolio. Use this page to prepare; complete each output in the guided workspace.
3. Essential Knowledge — Six Concepts
Read these short explanations before starting. Open each topic to view the practical example.
01 What makes a review systematic?
An SLR uses a planned, transparent and reproducible method for finding, selecting and synthesising evidence. It differs from a narrative overview by documenting decisions and search procedures.
02 Topic, scope and research questions
A topic identifies a broad field. Scope defines the review boundaries; RQs specify the evidence the review needs to answer. Example: from “AI in cybersecurity” to “Explainable AI for intrusion detection in IoT networks.”
03 Keywords, concepts and synonyms
Break an RQ into core concepts and identify synonyms, spelling variations and acronyms. For example: “explainable artificial intelligence”, “explainable AI”, XAI and explainability.
04 Boolean logic and search syntax
Use OR for alternatives within a concept and AND to combine different concepts. Use parentheses to group terms. Phrase searching, truncation and field codes differ by database.
05 Academic databases and coverage
Scopus, Web of Science and IEEE Xplore have different disciplinary coverage and search syntax. Choose sources for your topic and document the reason. Access may depend on institutional subscriptions.
06 Metadata, exports and search records
Article metadata can include title, authors, year, abstract, DOI and source. Keep the exact search string, database, search date, filters and result count. Export records in a supported format, such as RIS, BibTeX or CSV.
4. Stage 1 Roadmap
You may revisit earlier steps after testing the search strategy.
5. Follow a Worked Example
See how the topic, research questions, keyword concepts and search strategy connect in one continuous example.
Open the Stage 1 worked example →
6. Mini Knowledge Check
Not attemptedFive short questions. Select an answer for each and click Check Answers to receive feedback.
7. Learning Resources & Further Reading
Explore curated articles, official guidelines and video tutorials. Filter by Stage 1 task and use each resource to improve your research outputs.
Ready for the hands-on?
Start with Topic & Scope. You can return to this preparation page at any time.