Guide: Developing Your Systematic Review Protocol
by Shemsedin A
A robust protocol is the blueprint for your entire review. Learn how to create, manage, and version your protocol within RevPro to ensure transparency and reproducibility.
The Blueprint for a Successful Review
A systematic review protocol is a detailed plan that pre-specifies your research objectives and methods. Creating a comprehensive protocol is essential for minimizing bias and ensuring your review is reproducible. RevPro provides a structured editor to guide you through this process.
Creating Your First Protocol
From your project dashboard, navigate to the "Protocol" section and click "Create New Protocol". This will open our rich-text editor, which is divided into standard sections recommended by reporting guidelines like PRISMA-P.
- Title & Authors: Clearly state the title of your review and list all contributing authors.
- Abstract & Keywords: Provide a concise summary and relevant keywords for discoverability.
- Introduction: Detail the rationale and background for your review.
- Methods: Fill out the structured sections for your search strategy, study selection, data extraction, quality assessment, and data synthesis plans.
Versioning and Status Management
Protocols can evolve. RevPro includes a versioning system to track changes over time. When you edit an existing protocol, you can save it as a new minor or major version. You can also update the status of your protocol (e.g., from "Draft" to "Published" or "Completed") to reflect its current stage in the review lifecycle.
Exporting Your Protocol
Once your protocol is complete, you can easily export it for sharing, registration (e.g., with PROSPERO), or publication. RevPro supports exporting to common formats like DOCX and PDF, ensuring your document is professionally formatted and ready to go.