3.7.4 Introduction

The introduction should be comprehensive and cover all the main elements of the topic under review. It should be presented in complete prose, avoid lists and use sub headings sparingly and to improve logical flow of content and readability. Reviewers will find that the background information provided with the protocol needs modification or extension following the conduct of the review proper; the introduction of the review should not be a duplicate of that presented in the published protocol. The introduction should detail any definitions important to the review. The background information in this section must be sufficient to put the inclusion criteria into context and clear indication why the review is important and the rationale for its conduct. The introduction should conclude with a statement that a preliminary search for previous systematic reviews on the topic was conducted (state the sources searched e.g. JBI Evidence Synthesis, Cochrane Database, CINAHL, PubMed, PROSPERO). If there is a previous systematic review on the topic, it should be specified how the proposed review differs.

The introduction should conclude with an overarching review objective that captures and aligns with the core elements/mnemonic of the inclusion criteria (e.g. PICo).  The stated objective should clearly indicate what the review project is trying to achieve. For publication in JBI Evidence Synthesis, all references should be listed in full using the Vancouver referencing style, in the order in which they appear in the review. Abbreviated journal titles must be used in accordance with the United States National Library of Medicine.