Minimal Literature Assessment Norms (MiLAN) for Medical and Public Health Reviews

This article proposes a set of criteria that establish normative checkpoints essential for producing literature reviews beyond those focused on intervention effects (e.g., Cochrane, PRISMA) or observational studies (e.g., STROBE). Our proposed framework, which we refer to as minimal literature assessment norms (MiLAN), is intended to enhance the rigor and value of traditional narrative reviews. MiLAN outlines three core methodological processes that should be described in a manuscript’s methods section: search, selection, and presentation. By articulating these minimum expectations, MiLAN aims to increase transparency and reproducibility in narrative review methodologies while preserving the adaptability that makes narrative reviews valuable. This approach allows authors whose topics, goals, or resources do not align with the demands of complex systematic review frameworks to still present their work in a clear, accountable, and methodologically sound manner.