Evaluating Article Search and Selection Procedures in Special Education Literature Reviews

Literature reviews allow education professionals to identify effective interventions and assess trends in research and practice. However, issues with transparency and the specific methods used in conducting literature searches have the potential to limit the utility of reviews. This study evaluated the description of article search procedures and selection processes appearing in literature reviews and meta-analyses published in special education journals from 2004 to 2016. Findings reveal a considerable increase in the number of published meta-analyses and systematic reviews over this time period. Nonetheless, the validity of reviews is potentially undermined by incomplete descriptions of methods. Reports of inclusion criteria further suggests the results of many reviews may be biased. A discussion of implications follows a description of findings.