What is the main purpose of a systematic review?

The main purpose of a systematic review is to summarize existing evidence on a specific topic. This type of review aims to collect and critically evaluate all available research studies relevant to a particular question or area of interest. By synthesizing data from multiple studies, systematic reviews provide a comprehensive overview of what is currently known, helping to identify trends, gaps in the literature, and areas where further research is needed.

Systematic reviews follow a rigorous methodology to minimize bias, ensuring that the evidence is gathered and analyzed in a way that is transparent and replicable. This approach allows practitioners and researchers to make informed decisions based on the best available evidence, which is particularly valuable in fields like nutrition and health sciences where guidelines and recommendations must be grounded in solid research.

Other options like creating new research hypotheses, conducting original experiments, or introducing new research methodologies are important components of the research process, but they are not the main focus of systematic reviews. Instead, these reviews serve to consolidate existing knowledge and provide clarity on a specific issue, thereby guiding future research and practice.