As the demand for evidence-based decision-making continues to grow in education, the proliferation of systematic reviews has created both opportunity and challenge. While these reviews provide valuable insights, their volume and variability often make it difficult for educators, policymakers, and researchers to extract clear conclusions. Umbrella reviews—also known as "reviews of reviews"—address this issue by offering a higher-level synthesis of existing evidence. However, until now, there has been a notable lack of methodological guidance tailored specifically to the educational field.
A newly published study, " How to Conduct Umbrella Review in Education? A Step-by-Step Methodological Guide Through a Case Study in Digital Diaries ," published in ECNU Review of Education on 17 March, 2026, introduces the first comprehensive, practice-oriented framework specifically designed to guide umbrella reviews in the field of education. Authored by Mónica Fontana and Celia Camilli Trujillo, the paper introduces a structured, practical, and accessible guide to conducting umbrella reviews—an advanced research method that synthesizes findings from multiple systematic reviews.
Drawing on a real-world case study focused on digital diaries in education, the authors present a detailed, step-by-step framework that guides readers through every phase of the umbrella review process—from formulating research questions to synthesizing results. Unlike existing guidelines, which are largely rooted in health sciences and quantitative research, this study adapts the methodology to the unique characteristics of educational research, including qualitative approaches and diverse learning contexts.
The relevance of this work is underscored by the current scarcity of umbrella reviews in education. According to the authors' analysis, only a very small fraction of educational research employs this method, despite its potential to provide comprehensive and generalizable insights. By offering a clear methodological pathway, the study empowers researchers—particularly early-career scholars—to adopt this powerful tool and contribute to more robust evidence synthesis in the field.
At the heart of the paper is a practical guide structured around key phases of an umbrella review. These include defining the research problem, establishing inclusion and exclusion criteria, designing a search strategy, extracting and coding data, and synthesizing findings. Each phase is accompanied by theoretical explanations, common challenges, and actionable solutions, making the guide both rigorous and user-friendly.
The case study on digital diaries further enhances the paper's contribution by demonstrating how the methodology can be applied in practice. Digital diaries—often associated with digital storytelling—are increasingly recognized as a powerful educational tool that fosters student engagement, reflection, and the development of 21st-century literacies. The umbrella review conducted in the study reveals that digital diaries are used across a wide range of contexts, including formal education, health training, language learning, and civic engagement.
Importantly, the study not only synthesizes existing evidence but also identifies gaps and inconsistencies in the literature. For example, while digital diaries are widely promoted for their educational benefits, the role of teachers in their implementation remains unclear, highlighting an area for future research.
Beyond its specific findings, the publication makes a broader contribution to the advancement of research methods in education. By integrating theory with practice and addressing real methodological challenges, it sets a new standard for how umbrella reviews can be conducted and reported in non-clinical fields.
The implications are far-reaching. For researchers, the guide offers a reliable framework to produce high-quality evidence syntheses. For educators and policymakers, it enhances access to consolidated knowledge that can inform teaching practices and educational policies. And for the academic community as a whole, it represents a step forward in strengthening the methodological rigor and impact of educational research.
ECNU Review of Education
Case study
How to Conduct Umbrella Review in Education? A Step-by-Step Methodological Guide Through a Case Study in Digital Diaries
17-Mar-2026
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article