a review of the book life under presser: the social roots of suicide and what to do about them

rapid reviews have emerged as a valuable tool in the field of research and evidence synthesis. as a species of systematic review, this review follows its guidelines. systematic reviews and rapid reviews are both important methods for interpreting research designed to answer scientific questions, but with their differences. a systematic review is a comprehensive and rigorous scientific method that requires significant resources and time to collect, evaluate, and analyze existing evidence. a rapid review is a knowledge synthesis method and follows the guidelines of a systematic review, but speeds up knowledge generation by simplifying or eliminating some of its steps. this review is designed as an efficient and rapid method for designing situations where urgent decisions are needed. the steps of a rapid review include formulating and refining questions by surveying knowledge users, determining eligibility criteria, searching limited and transparent sources, evaluating data and results, and presenting a summary and categorized presentation. in general, while systematic reviews are suitable for more robust and comprehensive decision-making, rapid reviews are particularly useful in emergency situations due to their speed and efficiency. this article first defines and explains the reasons for the emergence of rapid reviews and compares them with systematic reviews. then the steps involved in conducting rapid reviews, and finally, the applications advantages, methodology, and challenges of conducting them are discussed.keywords: rapid review, systematic review, rapid review methodfunding: there is no financial support.conflict of interest: none declared.ethical approval: not applicable.authors’ contributions:- conceptualization: zeinab zamanpour, saeed akbari zardkhaneh- methodology: zeinab zamanpour- data collection: zeinab zamanpour- formal analysis: zeinab zamanpour- supervision: saeed akbari zardkhaneh- project administration: saeed akbari zardkhaneh- writing - original draft: zeinab zamanpour citation: zamanpour z, akbari zardkhaneh s. an introduction and guide to conducting a rapid review as a fast, accurate, and efficient method in the world of research: continuing education. j rafsanjan univ med sci 2025; 24 (2): 196-209. [farsi] - writing - review & editing: zeinab zamanpour, saeed akbari zardkhaneh