Mixing Qualitative and Quantitative Evidence in a Systematic Review

Mixed studies reviews are literature reviews that use a systematic approach to combine quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies. Mixed studies reviews are guided by the principles of mixed methods, specifically the integration of qualitative and quantitative evidence, with the goal of leveraging their complementarity. This chapter discusses and provides methodological guidance for mixed studies reviews in information science. This contribution is valuable since empirical research in information science typically involves diverse data collection and analysis methods and many research topics can be described as complex phenomena – both cases for which the mixed studies approach is recommended. This chapter provides a detailed description of the steps involved in a mixed studies review (question formulation, eligibility criteria, identification, selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and synthesis) and illustrates each step with a concrete example from library and information science.