The background section of the systematic review report should cover all the main elements of the topic under review. The Background section prepared for the protocol generally makes a good starting point; however it will often need an extension or modification following the review. The Background should detail any definitions important to the review. The information in the Background section must be sufficient to put the inclusion criteria in context. Reasons for investigating the index test, as well as the choice of reference test should be a particular area of focus.
At the conclusion of the Background section there should be a statement that a preliminary search for previous systematic reviews on the topic has been conducted (state the databases searched, e.g. JBI Evidence Synthesis, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PubMed). If a previous systematic review has been found, it should be specified how the conducted review is different from the previous one. JBI places significant emphasis on a comprehensive, clear and meaningful background section to every systematic review, particularly given the international circulation of systematic reviews, variation in local understandings of clinical practice, health service management and client or patient experiences. It is recommended that all JBI systematic reviews contain a sentence clearly indicating:
“The objectives, inclusion criteria and methods of analysis for this review were specified in advance and documented in an a priori published protocol. Ref” (the reference should be to the appropriate citation in JBI Evidence Synthesis).
This sentence should appear as the final line of the background/introduction section of the systematic review report and complies with the recommendations for reporting of systematic reviews detailed in the PRISMA guidelines.