InfoGuides: Systematic Reviews: Evaluate, Extract Data, and Synthesize

Checklists and Tools for Risk of Bias and Quality Assessment

Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tool Repository Comprehensive list of tools for methodological assessment
Center for Evidence Based Practice Johns Hopkins University JHNEBP Includes rating scales, appraisal tools and more
AMSTAR Checklist stands for A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews developed by Canadian researchers
CASP Checklists Critical Appraisal Skills Programs includes eight tools to use when evaluating research
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions official handbook for Cochrane Systematic reviews, includes charts for assessing studies
- The GRADE Handbook
- Risk of Bias (RoB2) Tool
CEBM Catalogue of Bias is a project mapping all the biases that affect health evidence
Study Quality Assessment Tools from NIH-National Heart,Lung,and Blood Institute
University of Glasgow EBP Checklists Forms for appraisal of treatment, harm, diagnosis, decision analysis studies and more
Downs & Black Checklist for Randomised and Non-randomised Studies Checklist, includes internal & external validity analysis
Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale For case control or cohort studies
Levels of Evidence (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt 2023)

Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Third Edition: Model and Guidelines Deborah Dang and Sandra L. Dearholt
Fully revised third edition includes tips and case studies

Free Software for Screening and Data Extraction

Taylor, Mahtani, K. R., & Aronson, J. K. (2021). Summarising good practice guidelines for data extraction for systematic reviews and meta-analysis. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, 26(3), 88–90. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2530301094/fulltextPDF/35287FCB1BB544C4PQ/1?accountid=14541

Systematic Review Toolbox an online catalogue of tools that support various tasks within the systematic review and wider evidence synthesis process

SRDR+ Free tool from AHRQ for data extraction, management and archival during systematic reviews

PICO Portal Free individual user license; assists with identifying relevant citations, de-duplication, screening, full-text review, and evidence mapping

Template for intervention description and replication (TIDieR) checklist and guide provides data extraction and study characterlistics examples

Rayyan is a free systematic review web app

COLANDR is an open access, machine-learning assisted tool for conducting evidence synthesis.

DistillerSR (free with student program)Includes AI feature to help rank screening. Predict screening time with time averages.

Covidence The primary screening and data extraction tool for Cochrane authors, free trial

Abstrackr is a free online tool that helps you upload and organize the results of a literature search for a systematic review. It also makes it possible for your team to screen, organize, and manipulate all of your abstracts in one place.

Synthesizing and Writing

Discussing the findings in Hewitt-Taylor, J. (2017). The essential guide to doing a health and social care literature review . Routledge.

Using Excel to Find Systematic Review Patterns https://youtu.be/2QfiM0Xer9Q

Guidance on the Conduct of Narrative Synthesis in Systematic Reviews A Product from the ESRC Methods Programme

Cochrane Handbook Chapter 9: Summarizing study characteristics and preparing for synthesis