Umbrella review: A Step-by-Step Guide for novel researchers

Introduction: The need for scientific evidence in the field of education has accelerated the production of systematic reviews (SR). However, the practice of conducting umbrella reviews (UR) is not yet common. These types of studies provide a general examination of the body of knowledge available on a given topic, as well as a guide for decision making based on the union of numerous sources of information. Among the possible reasons for the scarce number of UR in education is the lack of knowledge of the necessary steps in conducting them. Its usefulness in the educational context lies in its power to offer new results of great scope and transferability based on evidence from multiple SRs in an efficient and profound manner. 

Goals and Method: The objective of this work is to develop a methodological guide in doing umbrella reviews based on a case as an example: the use of digital diaries in education. For this purpose, an umbrella review of SR of digital diaries in education was carried out, describing for each phase a brief theoretical foundation, difficulties and possible solutions together with the case that serves as an example.

Results: The methodological challenges involved in planning and conducting an umbrella review of SRs are presented in terms of its justification and the elaboration of the research question broader than that of SRs; the overlapping of primary studies and the assessment of methodological quality. Also a general overall picture of the evidence in the field of digital diaries is provided for future research directions in education.

Conclusion: Methodological guidelines in conducting umbrella reviews in education are scarce. This article is an effort to provide a step-by-step guide along with its application for conducting umbrella reviews for novice researchers.