Evidence-appraisal glossary
Umbrella Review
An umbrella review is a review of existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses on a broad topic, summarizing what those reviews collectively found rather than analyzing primary studies directly. It sits one level above a systematic review.
Also called: overview of reviews, review of reviews.
When many systematic reviews address related questions, an umbrella review gathers them to map the landscape, compare their conclusions, and grade the strength and credibility of each association. It is efficient for surveying a wide field but inherits the limitations of the reviews it includes, and overlapping primary studies can be double-counted when reviews share the same trials. Readers should check how it handled that overlap and how it appraised the quality of its component reviews.
This is a plain-language methodology definition for reading research. It is general education, not medical advice.