Bruce Abbott
Health Sciences Librarian
916-734-3529
Systematic Reviews – Tools
by Bruce Abbott, Erik Davis Fausak, Amy Studer, Megan G. Van Noord, Nicole A Capdarest-Arest – December 20, 2019
This guide highlights a selection of tools available to UC Davis researchers wanting to perform and manage systematic reviews.
For a guide on what systematic reviews are, including the systematic review literature search process, and how to request a consultation for a health sciences systematic review project, see our Systematic Reviews guide.
For a guide on citation management tools that may be helpful in managing citations as part of the systematic review process, see the Citation Manager Comparison.
For a searchable catalog of tools related to the systematic review process, including meta-analyses, see SR Toolbox.
UC Davis Licensed Systematic Review Tools
Covidence
UC Davis Library has licensed Covidence systematic review software. Covidence is a tool to manage the systematic review process, and is used in many health professions systematic reviews, including Cochrane reviews. Current UC Davis affiliates wanting to use Covidence for systematic review management can use this link to sign up.
JBI Sumari
UC Davis Library licenses Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Evidence-based Practice database, including SUMARI (The System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review of Information), its tool for systematic review management. For systematic reviews in nursing or other health professions, or for those using the Joanna Briggs approach, this is a key tool. SUMARI can be accessed through the JBI database.
Additional Recommended Systematic Review Tools
Abstract Screening Tools
Brown School of Public Health’s Abstrakr — Helps upload and organize literature for systematic reviews and assists with screening and organizing citations.
Automated PDF Retrieval Tools/Methods
See our guide on Automating the PDF Retrieval Process.
Data Extraction
AHRQ’s Systematic Review Data Repository (also see SRDR Plus above)— Tool for the extraction and management of data for systematic review or meta-analysis. It is also an open and searchable archive of systematic reviews and their data.
Brown School of Public Health’s SRDR Plus — The Systematic Review Data Repository: Plus (SRDR Plus) is a tool for extracting, managing, and archiving data.
Citation Organization
Rayyan — Helps organize and track citations in a systematic review.
Other Systematic Review Project Management Tools
DistillerSR — Systematic review project management tool [fee-based product].
RevMan — used for Cochrane Collaboration systematic reviews. Allows you to prepare text, build tables showing the characteristics of studies and comparisons in the review, and add study data.