Open Access Journal of
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Literature Review Volume 9 Issue 1
Performing systematic literature review on systematic literature review-based articles: a review of challenges and issues
Loso Judijanto
Received: January 20, 2026 | Published: February 27, 2026
Citation: Judijanto L. Performing systematic literature review on systematic literature review-based articles: a review of challenges and issues. Open Access J Sci. 2026;9(1):58-70. DOI: 10.15406/oajs.2026.09.00288
Abstract
The rapid expansion of Systematic Literature Review (SLR)–based publications has strengthened their role as authoritative sources of synthesized evidence across disciplines. At the same time, concerns have emerged regarding recurring methodological challenges that may undermine the rigor, transparency, and reliability of SLR practices. This study aims to systematically identify, categorize, and synthesize methodological challenges and issues reported in SLR-based articles, particularly review-of-reviews, meta-reviews, and overviews of systematic reviews. This study employs a qualitative research design using a Systematic Literature Review approach. Data were collected through a structured search of peer-reviewed journal articles indexed in the Scopus database. An initial search using broad keywords yielded 2,777 records, which were subsequently refined through targeted Boolean search strings, publication year (2019–2025), language, and open-access criteria, resulting in a final corpus of 37 articles. Data analysis was conducted through structured thematic synthesis, combining frequency mapping, cross-study comparison, and pattern matching. The findings identify six dominant and interrelated methodological challenges: inconsistencies in search strategy design, limited transparency in screening and eligibility decisions, weaknesses in quality appraisal, challenges in data extraction and synthesis, incomplete adherence to PRISMA reporting standards, and risks of cumulative bias and methodological redundancy. The study concludes that these challenges reflect systemic methodological vulnerabilities rather than isolated technical shortcomings. Future research is encouraged to develop more reflexive, standardized, and context-sensitive methodological frameworks to strengthen the credibility of SLR-based research.
Keywords: systematic literature review, review of reviews, methodological challenges, meta-review, research synthesis
©2026 Judijanto. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.