The reliability of a systematic review increases if there is a protocol published, describing how the review will be carried out. By deciding in advance on the details of the review process, the risk of bias and the risk of selective reporting in the final publication is reduced. Protocols also reduce the risk of several very similar literature reviews being produced in parallel without reviwers being aware of each other's projects. The protocol can be published in, for example:
The standard for reporting a systematic review is PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). By following PRISMA when reporting, you ensure that the minimum is met for the study to be possible to replicate. The PRISMA Statement consists of a checklist and a flow diagram and can be supplemented with specific checklists for, for example, protocol and search.