Subject Guides: Types of Reviews: Umbrella Reviews

What is an Umbrella Review?

An umbrella review is a systematic collection and assessment of reviews (e.g. systematic reviews or meta analyses) on a topic, often described as "a review of reviews".
They are conducted in a systematic, unbiased and reproducible manner.

Characteristics include:

seek to synthesise evidence from multiple reviews into one accessible and usable document
focuses on broad condition or problem for which there are competing interventions and highlights reviews that address these
identification of component reviews but no search for primary studies

Timeframe: may take up to 12 months

Guidelines & Standards

Aromataris E, Fernandez R, Godfrey C, Holly C, Khalil H, Tungpunkom P. Chapter 9: Umbrella Reviews.
In: Aromataris E, Lockwood C, Porritt K, Pilla B, Jordan Z, editors. JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. JBI; 2024. Available from: https://synthesismanual.jbi.global. https://doi.org/10.46658/JBIMES-24-08
Pollock M, Fernandes RM, Becker LA, Pieper D, Hartling L. Chapter V: Overviews of Reviews.
In: Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 6.3 (updated February 2022). Cochrane, 2022. Available from www.training.cochrane.org/handbook.

Examples

Community-based group physical activity and/or nutrition interventions to promote mobility in older adults: an umbrella review
Neil-Sztramko, S.E., Teggart, K., Moore, C., et.al. (2022, June 29). Community-based group physical activity and/or nutrition interventions to promote mobility in older adults: An umbrella review. BMC Geriatrics, 22(1), 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-03170-9
Pre-existing health conditions and severe COVID-19 outcomes: an umbrella review approach and meta-analysis of global evidence
Marina Treskova-Schwarzbach, Laura Haas, Sarah Reda, et.al. (2021, August). Pre-existing health conditions and severe COVID-19 outcomes: An umbrella review approach and meta-analysis of global evidence. BMC Medicine, 19(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-021-02058-6

Types of Reviews

Overviews of Reviews

Springboard

What is an Umbrella Review?

Guidelines & Standards

Further Reading

Examples