Data Analysis and Presentation in Integrative Reviews: A Narrative Review

Integrative reviews are invaluable for synthesizing literature to guide practice. This review examined the nature and range of data analysis approaches and the methods used for data presentation in integrative reviews. We reviewed 151 integrative reviews published from January to December 2019 in nursing journals listed in Journal Citation Report 2020. Summary tables were used for data extraction and researcher-developed questions-based process for synthesis. Data analysis and synthesis methods were categorized as non-specific, inductive, deductive, and framework-based. Majority of reviews did not explicitly delineate data analysis and synthesis methods (n = 67) or used inductive methods (n = 55). Limited reviews used deductive (n = 13) and framework-based methods (n = 13). Most of the reviews used narrative descriptions for presentations of findings, but some reviews also used innovative tables, concept maps, frameworks, and word clouds to enhance data presentation. The findings provide a comprehensive overview of the diversity of methods for data analysis and presentation in integrative reviews.