This article sheds light on criticism of the increasing degree of formalisation in collating and synthesising research findings in the systematic review format in education. A textual analysis of two systematic reviews produced by the Swedish Institute for Educational Research unpacks the significance of interaction between formalisation and professional judgement. The article also shows that there is a mismatch between the "front-stage" and "back-stage" of the review process. Interestingly, criticism is aimed at the ideal image of scholarly practice rather than the actual review process.