Background: Systematic reviews entail the identification, storage, classification and analysis of electronic data. Current advances present new demands: the management of large quantities of data; allowing timely access by many reviewers working in different sites; and accommodating diverse study designs throughout all stages of reviewing. These demands raise challenges for managing both the project and the technical data, requiring effective and efficient information systems. Objectives: To present a case study of components of an internet-based information system that supports the conduct of complex systematic reviews. Results: Ways in which software can support the following are presented: searching and screening; logging paper retrieval; study classification; quality assessment; synthesis of qualitative and quantitative research; drawing conclusions; and quality assurance of review processes. The potential for recent developments in information technologies to support systematic reviews are outlined. In particular: the use of text mining techniques to support the rapid identification and description of research activity; the extraction and data mining of full text documents; and new internet technologies that allow more interactive and powerful user interfaces to be deployed. Conclusions: Information systems are a critical component in ensuring systematic reviews are conducted quickly, efficiently and reliably. There is still more to be done in developing systems that support the latest review methods and current internet technologies. New developments in information systems have the potential to revolutionise the systematic review process. Organisations involved in writing systematic reviews need to consider carefully how to support and promote the adoption of international standards for the classification and identification of research and also explore the reuse of data that are created during the course of conducting these reviews.