Unbiased Approaches for Reviewing Entomology Literature: A Systematized Review

Abstract

AbstractEvidence synthesis and knowledge translation are scientific methodological approaches used across different disciplines for combining results from individual studies, interpreting them based on the body of evidence and with the objective of supporting decision-making. Systematic, rapid, and scoping reviews have a direct application in human health and social care, but also in veterinary medicine, which are areas that can overlap with medical and veterinary entomology. As a scientific field, the objective of medical and veterinary entomology is to identify and quantify the role of insects as transmitters of important arthropod-borne pathogens, thus contributing to the study of human and veterinary issues of public health importance. The main objectives of this review are to introduce to entomologists the most common knowledge translation and synthesis methods described in the literature, to then review the use of systematic, rapid, and scoping reviews applied in the medical and veterinary entomology field, using a systematized review approach. We found 120 relevant articles in the literature addressing topics related to medical and veterinary entomology and using systematic reviews of the literature or other evidence synthesis methods, which is concurrent with the ongoing trend towards the use of these methodologies. The application of unbiased approaches to entomology in general, and to medical and veterinary entomology in particular, will strengthen science- and evidence-based conclusions to be used as a tool for informing policy, decisions, and interventions.