Systematic Review: A systematic review is a critical assessment and evaluation of all research studies that address a particular clinical issue. The researchers use an organized method of locating, assembling, and evaluating a body of literature on a particular topic using a set of specific criteria. A systematic review typically includes a critical appraisal of the included studies, and a description of the findings of the collection of research studies.
Meta-Analysis: Similar to a systematic review, but the researchers take the process one step further by combining data from the included research studies, and using the pooled data to come to new statistical conclusions. A meta-analysis is a statistical process that combines the findings from individual studies.