Inclusion And Exclusion Criteria
The explicit rules that determine which studies or sources are eligible for a review and which are screened out.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria are the explicit rules that define which studies belong in a review and which do not. Typical criteria cover publication date range, language, study design, population, setting, and outcome measures. Inclusion criteria describe what a source must have to be eligible; exclusion criteria describe features that disqualify it. Together they turn a vague topic into an operational boundary that can be applied consistently during screening.
In a thesis, stated criteria are what make your review defensible. They let you justify why a seemingly relevant paper is absent and stop the literature from expanding endlessly as you write. Set them before screening, record them in your methodology, and note any changes with reasons. When two criteria conflict in practice, resolve the case explicitly and document the decision so your screening stays consistent.
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