Review Scope & Protocol Draft
Purpose, research questions, scope boundaries and draft eligibility criteria.
New: SLR Foundations — Before the Hands-on
Understand SLR vs other articles, the full review process, manuscript anatomy, PRISMA, templates and quality expectations before Stage 1.
Explore SLR Foundations →Stage 1 · Literature Discovery
Literature Discovery and Search Strategy
From Research Questions to an Initial Article Set
Learn to define a focused review, develop a transparent search strategy, and organise the first set of literature records for Stage 2.
Start Stage 1 →Browse SLR tools by stage →Open Stage 1 Prompt Toolkit →Follow the Worked Example →
Your goals
Four Stage 1 Deliverables
Complete these planning and discovery outputs before Stage 2. Eligibility criteria are drafted here; applying them to records happens during Stage 2.
Search Strategy
Reviewed keyword matrix, tested Boolean strings and selected databases.
Search Log
Exact queries, dates, filters, result counts and documented refinements.
Initial Article Set
Exported records and verified seed articles, including citation-tracing leads.
Get ready
Preparation and Learning Resources
Review the essentials before starting the practical activities.
Before You Start
Preparation checklist, six essential concepts, a worked example and a short knowledge check.
Open preparation guide →Learning Resources
Academic articles, guidelines, practical guides and video tutorials to support Stage 1.
Explore learning resources →Hands-on pathway
Seven Guided Steps
Start with the preparation guide, then complete the seven steps in order. Return to earlier steps when your search needs refinement.
01Topic & ScopeDefine a focused review directionOpen →02Research QuestionsDevelop answerable RQsOpen →03Keyword Matrix & Boolean SearchReview terms and build a Boolean search stringOpen →04Database SelectionChoose and justify search sourcesOpen →05Search Execution & RefinementTest strategies and document resultsOpen →06Initial Article SetExport and organise literature recordsOpen →07Stage 1 PortfolioReview and export your deliverablesOpen →
STAGE 1 → STAGE 2
Prepare your Stage 2 handoff
Before screening begins, keep the decision record and the original database exports together. The portfolio is a summary; it does not replace the source files.
Bring these documents
- Stage 1 portfolio: scope, research questions and draft eligibility criteria
- Search log with the exact queries, run dates, filters and result counts
- Original database exports (for example, RIS or BibTeX), kept unchanged
Check before Stage 2
- Exported records include titles, abstracts, years, DOI and source database where available
- Save a PDF or JSON backup of the Stage 1 portfolio
- Keep one untouched copy of the exports for reconciliation
Final output
Your Stage 1 Portfolio
The portfolio gathers your four Stage 1 deliverables. Review the checklist above, then export the portfolio as a backup.
Progress in the guided workspace is saved in your browser. Export your portfolio as a backup.
Need the original workshop notes? Open Stage 1 course materials →