Evidence Synthesis-Health Sciences

Determine inclusion/exclusion criteria before searching.  What kind of studies will be included? What kind of studies will be excluded? Some examples are:

• Date of publication (5 years, 10 years, unlimited)
• Language of publication
• Methodology, quantitative or qualitative or mixed method
  • Randomized controlled trials only
  • Other: cohort, case-control
  • Qualitative: Interviews, focus groups, ethnography
• Age of subjects
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Socioeconomic level

Joanna Briggs Manual for Evidence Synthesis; Chapter 3.2.4 Inclusion Criteria

Cochrane Handbook for Systematic reviews of Interventions; Part 2,  Chapter 3  Defining the criteria for including studies

Screening Tools

Covidence The primary screening and data extraction tool for Cochrane authors. A free trial is offered. 

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

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

Rayyan is a free systematic review web app

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.

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

JBISumari facilitates the entire systematic review process from protocol to report, and includes team and contributor management for effective and efficient collaboration

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