"Distorted into clarity": A methodological case study illustrating the paradox of systematic review

Margarete Sandelowski; Corrine I. Voils; Julie Barroso; Eun Jeong Lee

doi:10.1002/nur.20278

"Distorted into clarity": A methodological case study illustrating the paradox of systematic review

Margarete Sandelowski, Corrine I. Voils, Julie Barroso, Eun Jeong Lee

School of Nursing and Health Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Systematic review is typically viewed in the health sciences as the most objective-that is, rigorous, transparent, and reproducible-method for summarizing the results of research. Yet, recent scholarship has shown systematic review to involve feats of interpretation producing less certain, albeit valuable, results. We found this to be the case when we tried to overcome the resistance to synthesis of a set of qualitative and quantitative findings on stigma in HIV-positive women. These findings were difficult to combine largely because of fuzzy conceptualizations of stigma and the volume of unique quantitative findings. Our encounter with findings resistant to synthesis heightened our awareness of the extent to which all systematic reviews are accomplished by practices that paradoxically "distort [research findings] into clarity."

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	454-465
Number of pages	12
Journal	Research in Nursing and Health
Volume	31
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20278
State	Published - Oct 2008

Keywords

HIV-positive women
Qualitative research synthesis
Quantitative research synthesis
Research methods
Research synthesis
Stigma
Systematic review

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Nursing(all)

Access to Document

10.1002/nur.20278

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Cite this

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abstract = "Systematic review is typically viewed in the health sciences as the most objective-that is, rigorous, transparent, and reproducible-method for summarizing the results of research. Yet, recent scholarship has shown systematic review to involve feats of interpretation producing less certain, albeit valuable, results. We found this to be the case when we tried to overcome the resistance to synthesis of a set of qualitative and quantitative findings on stigma in HIV-positive women. These findings were difficult to combine largely because of fuzzy conceptualizations of stigma and the volume of unique quantitative findings. Our encounter with findings resistant to synthesis heightened our awareness of the extent to which all systematic reviews are accomplished by practices that paradoxically {"}distort [research findings] into clarity.{"}",

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