Data management in literature reviews: The C5-DM Framework

Effective data management is essential for tasks involving decisions based on data, including knowledge synthesis and literature reviews. Despite this, how to carry out data management in literature reviews effectively remains unclear. With the increasing volume of research papers and the expansion of computational techniques for processing data (e.g., machine learning or large language models), it becomes imperative to consider data management as a crucial element for the advancement of literature review practices and tools. Presently, there are shortcomings related to (1) handling the growth of research to be synthesized, (2) addressing data quality issues when applying computational techniques or facilitating the verification of content produced by generative artificial intelligence, (3) enabling efficient reuse of datasets and innovative recombination of tools, and (4) facilitating transparent collaboration across heterogeneous review teams. To address these shortcomings, we develop the C5-DM Framework with conceptual principles to address data management challenges across five areas relevant to literature reviews: data conceptualization, collection, curation, control, and consumption. Methodological guidance for researchers with respect to these five areas is necessary to reduce errors, save time on repetitive tasks, and allow review teams to develop insightful syntheses.