Screening search results is often a two step process.

1st Pass - Title/Abstract Review

The 1st pass is a process of reviewing publication titles and abstracts against the selection criteria to see which ones may be eligible for inclusion in the review. Decisions are as follows:

• YES - the publication meets the eligibility criteria  (goes to FULL TEXT REVIEW)
• MAYBE - there is not enough information to make the determination  (goes to FULL TEXT REVIEW)
• NO - the publication does not meet eligibility criteria (does not go to FULL TEXT REVIEW, but you may want to keep for foundation/background)

2nd Pass - Full Text Review

The 2nd pass requires reading of the full text of the publication to ensure that it meets inclusion criteria without any exclusionary characteristics. Decisions are:

• YES - the publication meets eligibility criteria without any exclusionary characteristics.
• NO - the publication does not meet inclusion criteria or includes one or more exclusionary characteristics.

The review process is often conducted by a group of individuals whereby at least two individuals independently review each publication for both the 1st and 2nd pass. Discrepancies can be discussed so that consensus can be reached but original reviewers or a third party.

TOOLS FOR SCREENING

• Spreadsheet
• Covidence
• Rayyan
• JBI Sumari
• TERA Evidence Review Accelerator