Overview
This lecture provided an overview of systematic review methodology and demonstrated the use of Covidence, a web-based tool for managing the screening process in systematic reviews.
Systematic Review Methodology
- Systematic reviews critically summarize evidence from studies, often randomized controlled trials, to answer a focused research question.
- Originated in the 1970s-80s, influenced by Dr. Archie Cochrane and Professor David Sackett.
- Requires a team, a well-defined research question, a protocol, and significant time (average completion: 67.3 weeks).
- The systematic review workflow includes comprehensive database searching, duplicate removal, and multi-stage screening.
Types of Systematic Reviews
- Most reviews are clinical but can also be qualitative, psychometric, or survey-based.
- Scoping reviews explore evidence mapping, research gaps, and policy implications.
- Select review type based on the research objective.
Introduction to Covidence
- Covidence is a web-based tool designed for systematic review management, particularly useful for screening records.
- Standard platform for Cochrane reviews since 2015, but broadly applicable.
- Not a citation manager; you'll need another tool (e.g., RefWorks, EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley) for writing and bibliographies.
Key Features of Covidence
- Enables streamlined title and abstract screening, allowing one or multiple reviewers.
- Customizable settings for inclusion/exclusion criteria, reviewer roles, and team collaboration (including non-institutional members).
- Highlights keywords for easier screening and allows tagging of studies for organization.
- Accepts records in RIS, EndNote XML, and PubMed XML formats; supports bulk import and automatic deduplication.
- Exports data for continued analysis or writing outside Covidence.
Screening Process in Covidence
- Import records into a review project and assign reviewers.
- Screen titles/abstracts according to customized criteria; conflicts are resolved by a designated team member.
- Full-text screening is possible but less efficient in Covidence due to lack of automatic PDF import.
- Progress tracked on the dashboard, and data or PRISMA flow diagrams can be exported for reporting.
Data Extraction & Quality Assessment
- Covidence has built-in clinically-focused templates for quality assessment (Cochrane risk of bias) and data extraction.
- Templates can be customized, but careful piloting is recommended.
- Many users export records at this stage for further processing in other tools, especially for non-clinical or customized approaches.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Systematic Review — Structured literature review answering a specific research question using predefined methods.
- Covidence — Web-based tool for managing systematic review workflows, especially for screening.
- PRISMA — Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses; standard flow diagram for reporting review processes.
- RIS format — Universal citation file format for importing/exporting references.
- Data Extraction — Process of systematically collecting key data from included studies in a review.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Set up a Covidence account using institutional instructions.
- Consult the Covidence knowledge base for guides on data extraction and template customization.
- Refer to Welch Medical Library guides for systematic review resources and citation management.
- Contact your librarian for support on database searches, file export, and managing large review projects.