An integrative framework for planning and conducting Non-Intervention, Reproducible, and Open Systematic Reviews (NIRO-SR).

Marta Topor; Jade S Pickering; Ana Barbosa Mendes; Dorothy V M Bishop; Fionn Büttner; Mahmoud M Elsherif; Thomas R Evans; Emma L Henderson; Tamara Kalandadze; Faye T Nitschke; Janneke P C Staaks; Olmo R van den Akker; Siu Kit Yeung; Mirela Zaneva; Alison Lam; Christopher R Madan; David Moreau; Aoife O'Mahony; Adam J Parker; Amy  Riegelman; Meghan Testerman; Samuel J Westwood

doi:10.15626/MP.2021.2840

Authors

Marta Topor University of Surrey
Jade S Pickering Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology (University of Manchester) / School of Psychology (University of York) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7242-9207
Ana Barbosa Mendes Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1205-1724
Dorothy V M Bishop Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2448-4033
Fionn Büttner School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Sports Science, University College Dublin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5987-3063
Mahmoud M Elsherif Department of Psychology, University of Birmingham https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0540-3998
Thomas R Evans School of Psychological, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Coventry University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6670-0718
Emma L Henderson Faculty of Business & Social Sciences, Kingston University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5396-2321
Tamara Kalandadze Faculty of Education; Division of Special Education, Østfold University College https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1061-1131
Faye T Nitschke School of Psychology, University of Queensland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1200-4765
Janneke P C Staaks University Library, University of Amsterdam https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8406-3989
Olmo R van den Akker Department of Methodology & Statistics, Tilburg University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0712-3746
Siu Kit Yeung Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5835-0981
Mirela Zaneva Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3569-931X
Alison Lam Department of Psychology, University of Liverpoo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9123-1503
Christopher R Madan School of Psychology, University of Nottingham https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3228-6501
David Moreau School of Psychology and Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1957-1941
Aoife O'Mahony School of Psychology, Cardiff University
Adam J Parker Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1367-2282
Amy Riegelman University Libraries, University of Minnesota http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4127-5222
Meghan Testerman University Library, Princeton University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1097-0556
Samuel J Westwood Department of Psychology (University of Wolverhampton), Department of child & Adolescent Psychiatry (King's College London) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0107-6651

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15626/MP.2021.2840

Keywords:

guidelines, non-intervention research, open research, reproducibility, systematic reviews, transparency

Abstract

Most of the commonly used and endorsed guidelines for systematic review protocols and reporting standards have been developed for intervention research. These excellent guidelines have been adopted as the gold-standard for systematic reviews as an evidence synthesis method. In the current paper, we highlight some issues that may arise from adopting these guidelines beyond intervention designs, including in basic behavioural, cognitive, experimental, and exploratory research. We have adapted and built upon the existing guidelines to establish a complementary, comprehensive, and accessible tool for designing, conducting, and reporting Non-Intervention, Reproducible, and Open Systematic Reviews (NIRO-SR). NIRO-SR is a checklist composed of two parts that provide itemised guidance on the preparation of a systematic review protocol for pre-registration (Part A) and reporting the review (Part B) in a reproducible and transparent manner. This paper, the tool, and an open repository (https://osf.io/f3brw) provide a comprehensive resource for those who aim to conduct a high quality, reproducible, and transparent systematic review of non-intervention studies.