rapid reviews
{{Short description|Systematic survey of literature on a topic}}
Rapid reviews are a systematic survey of literature on a topic or question of interest. Compared to a systematic review of literature, in a rapid review, several design decisions and practical steps are undertaken to reduce the time it takes to identify, aggregate and answer the question of interest. The Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group proposes that rapid reviews can take different forms,{{cite journal |last1=Garritty |first1=Chantelle |last2=Gartlehner |first2=Gerald |last3=Nussbaumer-Streit |first3=Barbara |last4=King |first4=Valerie J. |last5=Hamel |first5=Candyce |last6=Kamel |first6=Chris |last7=Affengruber |first7=Lisa |last8=Stevens |first8=Adrienne |title=Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group offers evidence-informed guidance to conduct rapid reviews |journal=Journal of Clinical Epidemiology |date=February 2021 |volume=130 |pages=13–22 |doi=10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.10.007|pmid=33068715 |pmc=7557165 }} and they define rapid reviews as: "A form of knowledge synthesis that accelerates the process of conducting a traditional systematic review through streamlining or omitting specific methods to produce evidence for stakeholders in a resource-efficient manner".
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In medicine and healthcare
Rapid reviews are a form of evidence synthesis, similar to a systematic review, that can be used to inform decision-making and healthcare initiative.{{Cite journal |last1=Khangura |first1=Sara |last2=Konnyu |first2=Kristin |last3=Cushman |first3=Rob |last4=Grimshaw |first4=Jeremy |last5=Moher |first5=David |date=2012-02-10 |title=Evidence summaries: the evolution of a rapid review approach |journal=Systematic Reviews |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=10 |doi=10.1186/2046-4053-1-10 |issn=2046-4053 |pmc=3351736 |pmid=22587960 |doi-access=free }} The World Health Organization (WHO) considers rapid reviews as a way of generating evidence in a short period using an abbreviated systematic review method.{{Cite book |last1=Tricco |first1=Andrea C. |url=https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/258698 |title=Rapid reviews to strengthen health policy and systems: a practical guide |last2=Langlois |first2=Etienne V. |last3=Straus |first3=Sharon E. |date=2017 |publisher=World Health Organization |hdl=10665/258698 |isbn=978-92-4-151276-3 |language=en}} During the COVID-19 pandemic rapid reviews were employed to answer pressing questions under strict time constraints.{{cite web |title=Cochrane Covid Rapid Reviews |url=https://covidreviews.cochrane.org/news/launching-cochrane-covid-rapid-reviews |website=Cochrane Covid Rapid Reviews |publisher=The Cochrane Collaboration |access-date=December 17, 2020}}{{Cite journal |last1=Brooks |first1=Samantha K. |last2=Webster |first2=Rebecca K. |last3=Smith |first3=Louise E. |last4=Woodland |first4=Lisa |last5=Wessely |first5=Simon |last6=Greenberg |first6=Neil |last7=Rubin |first7=Gideon James |date=2020-03-14 |title=The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence |journal=The Lancet |language=English |volume=395 |issue=10227 |pages=912–920 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8 |issn=0140-6736 |pmc=7158942 |pmid=32112714}}
In software engineering
For Software Engineering, Rico et al. have recently adapted and extended the rapid review method. Their proposal takes into account the unique requirements of industry-academia collaboration in SE research. The extension proposed by them highlights the ways in which practitioners and researchers can collaborate in the planning, design and conduct of a rapid review.{{cite report|last1=Rico |first1=Sergio |last2=Ali |first2=Nauman Bin |last3=Engström |first3=Emelie |last4=Host |first4=Martin |title=Guidelines for conducting interactive rapid reviews in software engineering -- from a focus on technology transfer to knowledge exchange |date=16 December 2020 |doi=10.5281/zenodo.4327725|s2cid=234929855 }}
The guidelines by Rico et al. have been used in two rapid reviews, one on machine learning{{cite book |last1=Song |first1=Qunying |last2=Borg |first2=Markus |last3=Engström |first3=Emelie |last4=Ardö |first4=Håkan |last5=Rico |first5=Sergio |title=Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on AI Engineering: Software Engineering for AI |chapter=Exploring ML testing in practice: Lessons learned from an interactive rapid review with axis communications |date=17 October 2022 |pages=10–21 |doi=10.1145/3522664.3528596|isbn=9781450392754 |s2cid=247793031 }} and another on software component selection{{cite journal |last1=Bjarnason |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Åberg |first2=Patrik |last3=Ali |first3=Nauman bin |title=Software selection in large-scale software engineering: A model and criteria based on interactive rapid reviews |journal=Empirical Software Engineering |date=28 February 2023 |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=51 |doi=10.1007/s10664-023-10288-w|pmid=36875006 |s2cid=257228945 |doi-access=free |pmc=9972313 }}