To conduct screening and data collection, use software designed to facilitate these steps. A variety of fee-based and freely available, open source tools are available.
The NIH Library currently provides NIH staff free access to Covidence, a web-based collaboration tool for performing evidence syntheses. At least one user must be from NIH to request access and use Covidence.
If you are working with a NIH Librarian on your evidence synthesis review, they will create the project in Covidence and provide information on maximizing its use.
Learn more about Covidence:
Other tools available for conducting evidence syntheses are:
- Colandr (freely available, open source)
- DistillerSR (fee-based)
- EPPI-Reviewer (fee-based)
- Google Forms and Sheets (freely available)
- HAWC (Health Assessment Workplace Collaborative) (freely available, open source)
- JBI SUMARI (fee-based)
- Laser AI (fee-based)
- LitStream (fee-based)
- Microsoft Forms and Excel (fee-based)
- Nested Knowledge (fee-based)
- PICO Portal (fee-based)
- Rayyan (free, fee-based)
- RevMan Web (fee-based)
- SWIFT-Active Screener (fee-based)
- Systematic Review Accelerator (freely available)
- Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR+) (freely available, open source)
NIH and HHS staff should check with your NIH Institute/Center IT office or NIH Center for Information Technology (CIT) or HHS IT Office about using freely available, open source software for your work.
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Eligibility Criteria | Screening | Using Covidence | Risk of Bias | Data Collection | Data Synthesis