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Split view
You can split the Text of Review pane into two sections by using View > Split Text of Review. This will
enable you compare or reuse information from separate review sections with out having to jump back
and forth.
Menus, toolbars and keyboard shortcuts
The main menu bar contains menus that include all functions that apply to reviews in general. The most
frequently used functions are also available from the main toolbar.
The outline pane has its own toolbar for functions related to the outline elements, that is, functions that
only apply for a specific review section or element, and not the whole review. These functions can also be
found in the element's right-click menu.
Some functions have keyboard shortcuts, which are shown in the menu next to the function. See
Keyboard shortcuts for a full list of all shortcuts.
Many functions are also available in right-click menus. The right-click menu for a particular type of
element contains those functions that are unique to that element type, or commonly used for it.
Examples:
• Saving a review - This is a button on the toolbar, is available from the File menu: File > Save, and
has the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-S.
• Importing text - This is used less frequently and is only available from the File menu: File >
Import > Text of Review.
• Merging cells - This function can only be used for table cells, so it is available from the Table
menu and the right-click menu for tables.
Using the outline
The outline serves three functions:
• You can use it to navigate around the review, either by moving to a particular section in the Text
of Review, or by opening the properties of an element in a new tab (see below). A single click on
an outline element moves the view in the content pane to that section, while a double-click
opens the element's tab (if that element opens in a separate tab).
• You can use it to modify or reorder elements of the review. For an example, see Organising
studies.
• For each section of a review, it can display the validation status (see Validating reviews); whether
it has a note; and, for Protocols, whether the section is published.
Tabs
When you open a review, the content pane only contains the Text of Review tab, where most of a review
is edited. But some sections, such as references, have a special structure. When you open such a section,
a new tab is added to the content pane.
You can have an unlimited number of tabs open. To close a tab, click the 'X' in front of the tab name. If
you wish to close all open tabs, except for the Text of Review tab, use Window > Close All Tabs.
Tip: You can turn a tab into a separate window by double-clicking the tab. You can turn such a window
back into a tab by minimising it.
Protected text
Blue is used for text that you cannot directly modify, such as fixed Headings.
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Saving
Any change you make is immediately applied in the version you have open. You can use the save button in
the menu bar at any time, or you can wait until you have finished editing your review. See Saving a
review.
Tip: You do not have to save your work manually all the time, because RevMan automatically saves a
backup every 10 minutes. This is the default setting which you can change under General Preferences.
Closing reviews
You can close a review by checking it back in to Archie, or by simply closing the main review window.
When you close a review by closing the main window, RevMan can offer a number of options:
• For a review checked out from Archie, and not saved locally after the checkout:
• If changes have been made, RevMan offers an option to check the review back in.
• If no changes have been made, RevMan offers an option for undoing the check-out.
• For a review that has been saved locally (which may have been checked out before it was saved):
• If changes have been made since saving, RevMan offers an option to save the review.
• If no changes have been made, the review is closed.
In all the options listed above, you can always click Cancel to return to the review without closing it.
Windows
Each review you open will have its own window inside RevMan. In addition, many functions will open a
separate window, and you can also transform tabs (see Using RevMan) into windows by double-clicking
the tab.
For basic instructions on manipulating the size and location of windows, see the user documentation for
your operating system.
If you have more than one review open, you can use the following options in the Window menu to
arrange them:
• Tile Horizontally - this arranges the review windows side by side.
Tip: To maximize the width of the content pane while using this option, collapse the outline
pane. (see Using RevMan).
• Tile Vertically - this arranges the review windows from top to bottom.
• Arrange All - this arranges all review windows in a grid. It is mainly useful for 4 or more windows.
Tip: All open windows are listed in the Window menu. If you have problems locating a previously opened
window, click its name in the Window menu to bring it to the front.
Welcome Window
The Welcome window opens when you start RevMan, unless you choose a different startup option. This
window allows you to:
• Go to My Reviews. See My Reviews.
• Open a review saved on your local machine. See Opening a review.
• Read user documentation (Tutorial, Handbook or Help).
Tip: Pause the mouse cursor over a particular option to see its description on the right hand side.
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You can also choose a different startup option from the list at the bottom.
See also Interface preferences
Undo
Nearly all changes you make in RevMan can be undone with the Undo function. The maximum number of
possible undo actions is determined by the Undo History Size setting, which you can specify under
General preferences.
T
O UNDO AN ACTION
1. Click the Undo button.
T
O REDO AN ACTION
1. Click the Redo button
Tip: Pause the pointer over the Undo or Redo button to see a tool tip describing what will happen if
clicked.
Collapsing and expanding sections
Review sections can be collapsed in the Text of Review tab to allow you to view only those sections you
find relevant.
T
O
C
OLLAPSE OR EXPAND A SECTION
Click the Collapse or Expand Section icon in front of the section heading.
Tip: To include all sub-sections, Shift-click the Collapse or Expand icon.
You can turn off the ability to collapse sections under Interface preferences.
Renumbering
Some review elements are numbered. This includes comparisons and outcomes (in Intervention reviews),
tests (in Diagnostic reviews) and figures.
When a numbered item is deleted, the may leave a gap in the numbering sequence. You can use the
renumber function to correct this.
T
O RENUMBER ITEMS
1. Click the parent element in the outline.
For example, to renumber outcomes, click the parent comparison.
2. Click Renumber [element] on the outline toolbar.
Keyboard shortcuts
The following shortcuts are available in the Windows version of RevMan.
Action
Shortcut
Bold
Ctrl-B
Clear
Delete
Check Spelling
F7
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Copy
Ctrl-C
Cut
Ctrl-X
Find
Ctrl-F
Find and Mark Links
Ctrl-L
Handbook, Intervention Reviews
F2
Handbook, Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews
F3
Help
F1
Italic
Ctrl-I
Insert a symbol
Alt-[unicode number] See note.
New
Ctrl-N
Open
Ctrl-O
Paste
Ctrl-V
Print
Ctrl-P
Redo
Ctrl-Shift-Z
Refresh
F5
Replace
Ctrl-R
Save
Ctrl-S
Select all
Ctrl-A
Underline
Ctrl-U
Undo
Ctrl-Z
Note: You can type symbols directly into the text by pressing the Alt key while typing the Unicode
number. For example, Alt+20293 gives
. You can look up the Unicode number for a given character in
the Insert Symbol window.
Support
This section is about support for the software-related aspects of using RevMan. For assistance with review
methodology, see the section on Content guidance.
If you need help with using RevMan, but cannot find the answer in this user guide or on the RevMan
website, you can ask you Cochrane Review Group for assistance.
If you encounter a possible bug in RevMan, or wish to suggest and improvements, you can send these
directly to the developer team.
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T
O REPORT A PROBLEM
1. Choose Help > Report a Problem.
This opens the online problem reporting form.
2. Describe the problem as clearly as possible.
If the support team cannot understand your report, it will take longer for them to help you.
Describe the steps that led up to the problem, and the exact nature of the problem. Remember
to include the exact wording of any error messages.
3. Submit the form.
The support team will get back to you as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours on weekdays.
T
O SUGGEST AN IMPROVEMENT
1. Choose Help > Make a Suggestion.
This opens the online suggestion form.
2. Fill in and submit the form.
See the RevMan web site at www.ims.cochrane.org/RevMan for more information, such as the FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions).
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Reviews
Review types
RevMan 5 can be used to produce all four basic types of Cochrane reviews, namely:
• Intervention reviews
• Diagnostic test accuracy reviews
• Methodology reviews
• Overviews of reviews
Intervention reviews
This user guide covers all four types of Cochrane review, but is written from the perspective of Cochrane
Intervention reviews because these are by far the most common. There are special sections for the
features that are specific to the other review types.
Diagnostic test accuracy reviews
Background: Systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy
The main steps of a Cochrane review of diagnostic test accuracy studies are the same as the main steps of
a Cochrane review of the effects of interventions:
1. Framing the question and definition of the objectives
2. Search and selection of studies
3. Quality assessment
4. Data extraction
5. Statistical analysis
6. Interpretation and presentation of results
However, there are some differences between intervention and diagnostic test accuracy research that
impose special challenges to each of these six steps:
Many different designs are likely to have been used in diagnostic test accuracy studies, mostly non-
randomized observational studies. There is no single, dominant design, such as the randomized trial for
the effects of interventions, which is least prone to bias. This also complicates the indexing of diagnostic
test accuracy studies in electronic bibliographic databases, such as MEDLINE.
The quality of the diagnostic test accuracy studies is likely to vary very widely, even among studies that
have very similar designs. The relationship between study quality and study outcome is unclear, although
several researchers have studied these relationships (Lijmer, Rutjes). Study quality is also difficult to
assess because of the generally poor quality of the reporting of study methods.
The outcomes of diagnostic test accuracy research are very dependent on setting and patient population.
Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios and odds ratios depend very much on the characteristics of the
people in whom the test is used, including any prior testing. These data are also reported poorly in most
studies.
There is likely to be significant heterogeneity across diagnostic test accuracy studies, with many sources of
heterogeneity being unique to this type of research, notably the role of the positivity threshold and the
presence of various biases.
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The methodology for quality assessment, meta-analysis and investigation of heterogeneity in diagnostic
test accuracy are underdeveloped compared to the methodology for intervention research.
Sensitivity analysis
It is not possible to conduct sensitivity analyses in RevMan by omitting individual diagnostic studies. These
analyses need also to be done outside RevMan.
See also Assessment of methodological quality (QUADAS-2), Data and analyses in diagnostic reviews,
Constructing data tables, Covariates, Entering data, Analysis graphs in diagnostic reviews
Methodology reviews
Cochrane Methodology reviews bring together the findings of studies relevant to the methods of
evaluating health and social care, sometimes with meta-analyses of their results. The structure of
Cochrane Methodology reviews is very similar to the structure of Cochrane Intervention reviews but,
because the target of the methodological intervention is likely to be a research study (rather than a
person), some of the headings and subheadings have been changed to reflect this.
Overviews of reviews
For information on this type of Cochrane reviews, please see Chapter 22 of the Handbook.
Review properties
Cochrane reviews have an overall set of properties that can be viewed in RevMan. However, some of
these can be edited only in Archie.
T
O OPEN A REVIEW
'
S
P
ROPERTIES
1. Right-click the topmost heading in outline, for example "Intervention review", and choose
Properties.
The Properties window opens.
General properties
The Review ID and DOI are identifiers used in Archie and The Cochrane Library.
The Review Number can be used as a short label for the review. It can be edited in RevMan.
The Version number shows the version number of the review in Archie.
The Version description contains the description of the latest version when a review is checked out. It can
be edited in RevMan.
Status shows if the review is active, withdrawn or inactive.
The Stage in RevMan can be either Protocol or Full Review. See the Handbook for details of these two
stages. The stages Vacant Title and Registered Title are used in Archie, but not in RevMan.
Keywords
This element of reviews is currently not used. Text for this section will be added when the element comes
into use.
MeSH terms
This element of reviews is currently not used. Text for this section will be added when the element comes
into use.
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