Systematic reviews are important in academic research, as they allow you to synthesise current knowledge and guide evidence-based decisions. However, completing them can be a big task for students and scholars because systematic reviews require you to collect and analyse substantial data. Here is where software that can simplify the process can be of great use. Covidence is one such tool.
Covidence is a web-based software platform that was created for researchers and medical professionals who perform systematic reviews and other types of evidence synthesis. It offers a consolidated platform for collaboration and organisation, and streamlines the systematic review process. Additionally, it makes the research efficient and manageable.
Let’s explore what Covidence systematic review is and how you can use it.
What Is Covidence Systematic Review
The main market for Covidence is systematic reviews.
A systematic review is a methodical examination of prior research findings and supporting data pertaining to a particular research subject.
In order to support researchers in making defensible conclusions and identifying knowledge gaps, it seeks to offer an exhaustive and objective summary of the body of existing literature. For scholars just starting out with systematic reviews, Covidence is a useful resource. It streamlines the complex processes of data extraction and evaluating the risk of research bias. The software also comes in handy for scoping reviews and integrative reviews.
Covidence Systematic Review Software
Covidence offers a number of features and tools to make the systematic review process easy. Some of these include the following:
- Study Choice
It is important to select the study that satisfies the inclusion criteria. Covidence helps with this process by giving researchers the freedom to independently evaluate and screen studies, which promotes uniformity and openness in the choice of studies.
- Data Extraction
The method by which researchers gather and document pertinent data from particular investigations is known as data extraction. Covidence streamlines and reduces errors in this stage by offering templates for data extraction forms and enabling collaborative data entry.
- Risk Of Bias Assessment
A systematic review needs to assess the quality of the included studies and the risk of research bias. With the use of Covidence’s risk of bias assessment tools, researchers may make well-informed decisions regarding the validity of the evidence.
- Collaboration
The foundation of systematic reviews is collaboration, which frequently entails the cooperation of several scholars. With Covidence’s collaborative platform, team members can focus on different elements of the review at the same time. It increases productivity and transparency.
- Connectivity To Reference Coordinators
The seamless integration of Covidence with reference management software, such as EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley, facilitates the importation of references and the maintenance of your source library.
How To Use Covidence For Systematic Review
Step 1: Create An Account
Visit the Covidence website and register for an account using your institutional email, if possible, since many institutions have Covidence subscriptions that offer free or discounted access.
Step 2: Start A New Project
Now, you can start a new systematic review project. Click on “Create New Review” and name your project. Select the proper institution (if applicable). You can choose between starting a Cochrane review or a general systematic review.
Covidence supports both randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs. It also allows you to make custom review settings, such as the number of reviewers required at each stage.
Additionally, you can invite your co-authors or research team members by entering their emails. With the help of Covidence, you can have multiple collaborators to work on a single project, and you can even assign roles accordingly (e.g. primary reviewer).
Step 3: Import References
After you have set up your project, you can import your references into Covidence, which accepts several file formats from reference management tools like EndNote. Here is how you can export references from different reference managers.
- EndNote: Go to “File” > “Export” and select the RIS file type.
- Mendeley: In Mendeley, select the references you want to export, click “File” > “Export”, and choose RIS format.
- Zotero: Export references in RIS format by selecting “Export Library” from the “File” menu.
Once you have your RIS file, this is how you can upload it into Covidence.
- Go to your Covidence project.
- Click the "Import" button.
- Choose the RIS file from your computer and upload it.
Covidence will then automatically deduplicate references and save you tons of time. It ensures that you have a clean database for your review.
Step 4: Screening & Selection
Covidence makes sure that you experience a smooth citation screening process as it allows you to screen titles and abstracts in a user-friendly interface.
- Once your references are uploaded, click on the “Screen” tab to begin title and abstract screening.
- Covidence provides three decision options:
- Yes: Move the reference to full-text review.
- No: Exclude the reference from the review.
- Maybe: Mark the reference for further discussion or additional information.
Covidence’s interface allows reviewers to make decisions quickly by scrolling through each reference. If a conflict arises (e.g., one reviewer selects “Yes” while another selects “No”), Covidence will automatically flag the reference for discussion.
Full-Text Review
After the title and abstract screening are complete, the next stage is full-text screening. Covidence simplifies this as it allows you to upload PDFs directly into the system. Moreover, it provides decision options similar to title and abstract screening and flags conflicts between reviewers for resolution.
Step 5: Data Extraction
You can customise the data extraction tool in Covidence as much as you want and create a tailored data extraction template based on your study needs. You can select from pre-existing fields (e.g., study population, outcomes) or create custom fields for specific variables you want to extract. Moreover, you can assign specific team members to extract data from each study for accountability.
Once your template is ready, you can begin extracting data by following these steps:
- Click on the study from which you want to extract data.
- Enter information into each field of the extraction form. Covidence allows you to attach notes or documents if needed.
- Covidence autosaves your work, so you can stop and resume data extraction anytime.
Step 6: Risk Of Bias Assessment
When you assess the risk of bias is a crucial component of any systematic review, you can ensure that the quality and reliability of included studies are properly evaluated. Covidence has built-in tools to help you conduct this step.
a) Risk of Bias Templates
Covidence offers several standard templates, such as the Cochrane risk of bias tool for random trials. You can also add or modify questions to suit the specific needs of your systematic review.
b) Assessing the Risk of Bias
Like other stages, you can assign different reviewers to assess the risk of bias for each study. Reviewers answer each question using the risk of bias tool, and Covidence tracks agreement and flags disagreements for discussion.
Step 7: Export Results
In the final step, Covidence enables you to export your results for further analysis or inclusion in your systematic review manuscript. You can export in the following formats.
- Covidence allows you to export your data in CSV or Excel formats for statistical analysis.
- If you are conducting a Cochrane review, Covidence integrates with Review Manager (RevMan), so that you can have a smooth transition from data extraction to meta-analysis.
Covidence Systematic Review Management Tips
So, now that you are familiar with how to use Covidence for systematic review, here are some management tips for you to consider to make your research journey even better.
- For your systematic review to be successful, you need to have a well-defined research question.
- Before discussing the review, try to make a detailed plan that outlines your review process and timelines.
- To work better with your team members, use the collaboration tools offered by Covidence.
- You have to maintain consistency throughout the screening and data extraction process.
- Keep your literature review search up to date.
- Always stay informed of any changes in the features of the software.
Covidence Pricing
Covidence offers a free trial with 500 records. However, it can be costly for students. As of October 2024, it offers the following packages.
| Single | $289 USD / Year | One review, unlimited collaborators |
| Package | $867 USD / Year | Up to 3 reviews, unlimited collaborators |
| Organisations | – | Advanced tools for libraries and teams |
Frequently Asked Questions
Covidence does offer a free trial to members for a limited time and with limited features.
Covidence allows multiple authors to work simultaneously without causing conflicts. However, you should know that each action can only be completed by up to two reviewers.
With Covidence, you can specify the number of reviewers needed per citation, and they are randomly ordered and automatically tracked. This feature is not available in Rayyan and divvying of citations has to be done manually.
