Once you have selected the most reliable and relevant studies, you will need to combine all the findings of the individual studies using textual or statistical methods. The purpose of the synthesis is to answer your research question.

Synthesis involves pooling the extracted data from the included studies and summarizing the findings based on the overall strength of the evidence and consistency of observed effects.

Depending on your review type and objectives, forms of synthesis may include one or more of the following:

• Meta-analysis
• Narrative
• Qualitative
• Integrative

The synthesis method should be identified in your protocol.

After completing the steps of the review process, you can interpret the findings from the data synthesis, draw conclusions, recommend areas for further research, and write up your review.