How can you systematically review the impact of income inequality on economic growth?

1 Define your research question

The first step of any systematic review is to define your research question clearly and precisely. This will help you narrow down your scope, identify your keywords, and formulate your inclusion and exclusion criteria. A good research question should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example, you could ask: How does income inequality affect economic growth in developing countries in the past decade?

2 Search for relevant literature

The next step is to search for relevant literature that answers your research question. You can use various databases, such as Google Scholar, Scopus, or Web of Science, to find peer-reviewed articles, books, reports, and other sources. You should use a combination of keywords, synonyms, and Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to refine your search results. For example, you could use: (income inequality OR income distribution) AND (economic growth OR GDP) AND (developing countries OR low-income countries) AND (2010-2020).

3 Screen and select the literature

The third step is to screen and select the literature that meets your inclusion and exclusion criteria. You should apply these criteria to the titles, abstracts, and full texts of the sources you find, and exclude those that are irrelevant, outdated, or low-quality. You can use a software tool, such as Covidence or Rayyan, to help you manage your screening process and record your decisions. You should also document the number of sources you include and exclude at each stage, and report them in a PRISMA flow diagram.

4 Extract and synthesize the data

The fourth step is to extract and synthesize the data from the selected literature. You should use a data extraction form, such as Excel or Google Sheets, to collect the relevant information from each source, such as the authors, title, year, methods, results, and conclusions. You should also assess the quality and risk of bias of each source, using a checklist or a tool, such as ROBIS or AMSTAR. Then, you should synthesize the data using a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods approach, depending on your research question and the type of data available. You can use a software tool, such as NVivo or Meta-Essentials, to help you with this step.

5 Analyze and interpret the results

The fifth step is to analyze and interpret the results of your synthesis. You should use descriptive and inferential statistics, such as mean, standard deviation, correlation, or meta-analysis, to summarize and compare the data from different sources. You should also use graphs, tables, or forest plots to visualize and present your results. You should interpret your results in relation to your research question, and discuss the main findings, limitations, implications, and gaps in the literature.

6 Write and report the review

The final step is to write and report the review, following the standards and guidelines of your field and journal. You should structure your review according to the IMRAD format (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion), and include a title, abstract, keywords, references, and appendices. You should also follow the PRISMA checklist and statement, which provide a comprehensive and transparent way of reporting a systematic review. You should cite your sources using a consistent and appropriate style, such as APA or MLA, and check your review for plagiarism, grammar, and spelling errors.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?