Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A Cochrane living systematic review of COVID-19 therapeutics, updated weekly during the pandemic
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A one-off systematic review published in 2020 with no subsequent updates is not living
Editorial commentary
A living systematic review is a systematic review maintained under continuous update rather than published once as a static snapshot: the registered search is periodically re-run, newly identified studies are screened, and eligible new evidence is incorporated into the synthesis, with explicit triggers distinguishing a major update (warranting a fresh version) from a minor one, and a publicly maintained version history.
How this differs from an ordinary systematic review and a living review
The review methodology itself is identical to a standard systematic review — protocol, registration, PRISMA reporting — the only difference is the maintenance model: continuous updating in place of a single fixed publication. A living review is the broader category (any review type kept under continuous update); a living systematic review is specifically the systematic-review instance of that broader pattern. PRISMA 2020’s downloadable reporting templates include a dedicated “updated systematic review” variant, with a second identification arm for studies carried forward from a prior version, reflecting how mainstream the format has become for reviews that need to stay current.
Example
A Cochrane living systematic review of a rapidly-evolving treatment area, re-run and updated on a defined cadence as new trial evidence is published, rather than requiring an entirely new review to be commissioned each time the evidence base moves.
Practical requirement
Sustaining a living review requires ongoing infrastructure — a stable hosting platform, a committed team, and clear, published rules for when and how updates trigger — that a one-off review does not need; adoption accelerated sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the underlying evidence base was changing week to week.
Also known as
LSR · Living SR
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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