Living Systematic Review
A living systematic review (LSR) is a dynamic, continuously updated evidence synthesis that monitors emerging literature and incorporates new studies as they become available, rather than being a static document published once. Formalized by Elliott et al. (2017) and adopted by the Cochrane Collaboration, living systematic reviews maintain currency in rapidly evolving fields by using prospective searches and regular review cycles (monthly, quarterly, or trigger-based). Rather than waiting 12-18 months for a complete systematic review only to find it outdated by new trials, living reviews enable real-time evidence synthesis—particularly valuable during pandemics, in rapidly advancing fields (oncology, immunology), and for volatile policy questions where new evidence frequently shifts recommendations.
Source record
Citations copied verbatim from the method’s source record. No claim-level verification is inferred from them.
- Elliott, J. H., Synnot, A., Turner, T., Simmonds, M., Akl, E. A., McDonald, S., ... Higgins, P. T. (2017). Living systematic reviews: An emerging opportunity to narrow the evidence-practice gap. PLOS Medicine, 14(2), e1002254. · URL
- Higgins, P. T., & Thomas, J. (Eds.). (2021). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Version 6.2). The Cochrane Collaboration. · URL
- Shea, B. J., Reeves, B. C., Wells, G., et al. (2017). AMSTAR 2: a critical appraisal tool for systematic reviews. BMJ, 358, j4008. · URL
Curated claims
Claims persisted in the evidence ledger, each with its own assessment.
This view does not invent a claim assessment when the ledger has none.
Related methods
Generated from the method graph and shown as machine-suggested relations — no evidence claim is inferred.