Background: EPPI-Reviewer has been part of the Cochrane ecosystem of tools since 2015 and is available free of charge for Cochrane reviews; its role is to facilitate the review production of complex reviews. Unlike other software supporting review production phases, EPPI-Reviewer is designed with flexibility in mind and includes a wide range of cutting-edge machine learning and data services. EPPI-Reviewer is also a methodological research tool: its flexibility allows and facilitates methodological research and innovation; our current research focuses on enabling automation on the search and screening phases, integrating them both in ways that are specifically designed to support workflows for “living” systematic reviews. The same underlying technologies are expected to also drive significant innovations regarding data reuse and discoverability.
Objectives: Introduce the core concepts behind the EPPI-Reviewer architecture and tools. Provide a general overview of how to use it according to different needs (meta-analyses, mixed methods, “living” systematic reviews, meta-ethnographies, etc.). Provide an introduction to our latest innovations and future plans.
Description: The workshop will focus on the key elements of EPPI-Reviewer, concentrating on the features that are designed explicitly to support flexibility. Participants will be guided through the overall structure of the software, including highlights on the latest developments (living reviews, producing maps, and visualisations) and the ideas that inform our plans for the future. Practical exercises will focus on a few of the showcased features giving each participant the chance to try out the methodologies and approaches that best suit their use-case. This session is suitable for reviewers who are just starting to use EPPI-Reviewer, those who are ready to learn more, and those who are considering it for their future work. The ideal participant would have some experience in conducting systematic reviews (although beginners are welcome). Participants should bring their own laptop to the session, working in small groups will be encouraged.