3.5 Step 5: Data extraction and synthesis
Depending on your research aims and question, at least, there could be two phases of this exercise. It is the act of locating and acquiring/accessing appropriate materials deemed relevant for the study and all sources of information well documented. There are many referencing systems that help in organizing and documenting information, for example, EndNote. First, specific characteristics of studies among others such as geographical location, study objectives, methods, study design, population, and theory where relevant will be looked at. This step is about bringing ideas and information together for the purpose of identifying the overall pattern and how each pattern fits into the whole. The outcome sought here is an overview of the research focus. This outcome crucial in confirming/or refining formulated research questions. Attention is paid to the connections among the extracted materials in the context of agreements and disagreement, flow among relevant materials for the purpose of drawing conclusion as organizing proposition for the synthesis The second phase could be extracting the actual results/findings of IS implemented as an intervention Inclusion and exclusion criteria.