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Rapid Review

There are several steps involved in the completion of a Rapid Review. The following guide to the Rapid Review process provides a summary of the key steps that are involved.

Write The Review

Write a concise and structured report, typically following the PRISMA guidelines, including:

  • Introduction/Background

  • Methods (including search strategy and criteria)

  • Results (including study characteristics, findings, and quality assessment)

  • Discussion (implications, limitations, and recommendations)

  • Conclusion

Formatted section of a Sample Evidence Summary Report

Below is an image showing formatted sections of a sample report that may help in writing an Evidence Summary

Image Credit: Figure 1 from Khangura, S., Konnyu, K., Cushman, R., Grimshaw, J. and Moher, D., 2012. Evidence summaries: the evolution of a rapid review approach. Systematic Reviews, 1(1), p.10. https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-4053-1-10.

Examples of Rapid Reviews

Anawati, A., Fleming, H., Mertz, M., Bertrand, J., Dumond, J., Myles, S., Leblanc, J., Ross, B., Lamoureux, D., Patel, D., Carrier, R. and Cameron, E., 2024. Artificial intelligence and social accountability in the Canadian health care landscape: A rapid literature review. PLoS Digital Health, 3(9), pp.1–17. 

Edwards-Smith, A., Ajiboye, A., Pywell, S., Kenyon, A., Routh, F., Williams, J. and Dayson, C., 2025. Adult Mental Health, Major Conditions and Social Prescribing: A Rapid Review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 2025, pp.1–32. 

Roaquin, L., Apsay, K.L., Pangan, C.R., Hangdaan, L. and Lin, Y., 2025. Telemonitoring in Chronic Heart Failure Among the Elderly: A Rapid Review of Literature. SAGE Open Nursing, pp.1–13. 

Thomas, C.S., Nielsen, T.K. and Best, N.C., 2025. A Rapid Review of Mental Health Training Programs for School Nurses. Journal of School Nursing, 41(1), pp.158–171. 

Erwin, J., Burns, L., Devalia, U., Witton, R., Shawe, J., Wheat, H., Axford, N., Doughty, J., Kaddour, S., Nelder, A., Brocklehurst, P., Boswell, S. and Paisi, M., 2024. Co-production of health and social science research with vulnerable children and young people: A rapid review. Health Expectations, 27(2), p.e13991. 

Pfeiffer, B., Hallock, T., Tomczuk, L. and Kramer, J., 2024. Peer Support Provided by People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Rapid Scoping Review to Develop a Toolkit for Inclusive Research. Social Sciences, 13(1), p.47. 

Schlief, M., Stefanidou, T., Wright, T., Levy, G., Pitman, A. and Lewis, G., 2023. A rapid realist review of universal interventions to promote inclusivity and acceptance of diverse sexual and gender identities in schools. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(4), pp.556–567. 

Tikkanen, S., Keskimäki, I., Sinervo, T., Räsänen, P. and Sahlström, M., 2023. Searching for alternative health and social care integration measurement tools – a rapid review of the existing systematic models. Journal of Integrated Care, 31(5), pp.106–116.

Costa, L.F.C., Nascimento, L.M.A., Lima, Y.O. de, Santos, A.M., Barbosa, C.E., Xexéo, G. and de Souza, J.M., 2024. Women’s Journey in STEM Education in Brazil: A Rapid Review on Engineering and Computer Science. IEEE Access, 12, pp.112576–112593. 

Kempton, L., Daly, D., Kokogiannakis, G. and Dewsbury, M., 2022. A rapid review of the impact of increasing airtightness on indoor air quality. Journal of Building Engineering, 57, p.104798. 

Vainberg, A. and Abakumov, E., 2025. Microplastic Exposure for Pinnipeds (Pinnipedia): A Rapid Review. Ecologies, 6(2), p.26. 

Vaillancourt, C., Ahmed, M., Kirk, S., Labonté, M.-È., Laar, A., Mah, C.L., Minaker, L., Olstad, D.L., Kent, M.P., Provencher, V., Prowse, R., Raine, K.D., Schram, A., Zavala-Mora, D., Rancourt-Bouchard, M. and Vanderlee, L., 2024. Food environment research in Canada: a rapid review of methodologies and measures deployed between 2010 and 2021. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 21, pp.1–27. 

Ferrell, M.L., Beatty, A. and Dubljevic, V., 2025. The Ethics of Neuromarketing: A Rapid Review. Neuroethics, 18(1), pp.1–22. 

Lotriet, H., 2024. Community and Large-Scale Digital Transformation for Poverty Eradication and Economic Growth in Africa: A Rapid Review of Existing Research for the Period 2013–2023. In: Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development. [online] International Conference on Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development. Springer, Cham. pp.31–45.

Meis-Harris, J., Klemm, C., Kaufman, S., Curtis, J., Borg, K. and Bragge, P., 2021. What is the role of eco-labels for a circular economy? A rapid review of the literature. Journal of Cleaner Production, 306, p.127134. 

Pham, L., 2023. Financial Risks and Economic Viability of Water and Sanitation Businesses in Rural Cambodia: A Rapid Review. Journal of Accounting & Finance (2158-3625), 23(4), pp.63–82.