FAQ

MetaReviewer is designed for the synthesist who is new to conducting an evidence synthesis. Our target audience members is a person who wants to move beyond a spreadsheet but doesn’t have the resources to purchase dedicated software or design a custom-made database. Although synthesists with lots of experience can and should use MetaReviewer, given the current stage of the build, the program may not meet advanced users’ needs.

MetaReviewer will assist review teams in the process of collecting data from individual studies, usually referred to as “study coding” or “data extraction”. MetaReviewer’s tools will help synthesists design a coding form, create a relational database, manage team assignments, collect study information, identify effect size statistics, and convert the collected data into a spreadsheet that can be easily imported to any software.

MetaReviewer does not currently have functionality that will accommodate abstract or full-text screening. Users may – on their own accord – use the program for such purposes as MetaReviewer can be adapted to meet these needs. However, at the current phase, the program will not accommodate both screening and coding of studies. We also will not be able to provide users with any support of these issues. We plan to incorporate some of this functionality after the Beta testing phase ends in November 2022.

Not specifically. MetaReviewer will be helpful to users who need to identify specific effect size data. MetaReviewer will also be helpful to users who need a formatted spreadsheet that can be imported into R, Stata, or other statistical software.

MetaReviewer is designed for individuals who have a basic understanding of the evidence synthesis process. Users interested in learning more about evidence syntheses should consult papers like this one for a good primer. Our MOSAIC website also has helpful resources.

No. Only people who synthesists grant project access will be able to view and edit project data.

If you’d like to work with us on an upcoming synthesis project, please send an email to Josh Polanin: jpolanin@air.org

Yes! Sign up for the Beta testing phase and watch your inbox for further information.

Most issues can be resolved by reviewing the user documentation, which users will have access to upon signing up for MetaReviewer. Although we do not have the capacity to troubleshoot all issues with users currently, please direct all questions to our support team at metareviewer@air.org.

It’s free! In the future, we may charge teams with a large number of people or a large number of files and data. The vast majority of teams will never have to pay for the product.

Sure, we’d love your support! Please send an email to metareviewer@air.org and we will work out the details.

The ideal project will have conducted the literature search, abstract screening, full-text retrieval, and full-text screening; thus, the project has a list of studies that will be included in the synthesis – either a systematic review alone or a systematic review and meta-analysis. Should users need assistance drafting a coding form, MetaReviewer provides templates for various synthesis scenarios common in the social and behavioral sciences. Once a user has the list of citations and a coding form ready, the project team should use the setup wizard to populate the review.

No. MetaReviewer is designed for the sole purpose of conducting an evidence synthesis. Users who intend to modify the application of the program for a different purpose will violate the Terms of Agreement outlined and are subject to immediate deletion.

The Beta testing phase will end on November 16, 2022. Users will continue to be able to access MetaReviewer after this time and the data will remain available. However, due to resource constraints, we will not be able to manage the Help Desk and will not be able to offer additional assistance. In addition, no new users will be allowed access. We plan to release an updated version of MetaReviewer in the late summer or early fall of 2023 and users will be able to join again then!

Beta testers will not be obligated to pay any fees. We reserve the right to restrict users from creating very large projects, but we do not anticipate this will be an issue. We may ask Beta testers to provide their feedback at some point in the fall of 2022, but Beta testers are under no obligation to answer the questions.