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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.
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.
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Using RevMan
9
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.
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.
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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
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
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Using RevMan
11
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.
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.
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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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13
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.
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
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14
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 tables, 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.
Licence for publication
Authors of Cochrane reviews are required to assign an exclusive licence to The Cochrane
Collaboration to publish their review in electronic editions of The Cochrane Library. This is done
through a special licence form that is generated from Archie, based on information from the review.
Your Review Group will inform you when you need to fill in the form. The message will include a link
to your online form and detailed instructions on how to proceed.
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Reviews
15
In case of severe problems with your access to the online form, you might be asked to complete a
paper form generated from RevMan.
T
O GENERATE A
L
ICENCE FOR
P
UBLICATION FORM
1. Choose File > Reports > Licence for Publication.
The form can be saved and printed using the buttons in the lower left.
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16
Review/Protocol information
Title
The review title is shown at the top of the main text window, where it can be edited.
Note: when a review title has been agreed with the Review Group, authors should not change the
title without the agreement of their Review Group.
You can use italic, super‐ and subscript in review titles, but you cannot modify the font or size, nor
apply bold or underline.
Changing a review's title will not affect an existing filename used for the review (see Storing reviews
locally), but it will affect the overall title of the review in Archie when the review is checked in.
Authors
The byline and author affiliations shown at the top of the Review Information section are
generated automatically from the authors linked to a review.
You can use RevMan to choose the authors in the list and their order, but changes to the details for
the authors must be made in Archie.
An author is assigned to a review by linking the review with her record in Archie. This means that a
record must exist in Archie before an author can be added to a review. When an author has been
assigned to a review, her details are stored within the review file, but they cannot be edited in
RevMan. The contact details for author that are included in reviews are updated in two ways:
automatically, whenever a review is checked out from Archie, the latest details for each
author are inserted in the file;
manually, by using the Refresh function (see below).
A review must have at least one author. If you create a review within RevMan (see Starting a review),
a temporary author that is not linked to the Archie server may be created. If you have entered your
name (under Preferences) this will be used for the author created, otherwise '[Empty name]' will be
shown.
The Contact person does not need to be in the list of authors.
When you make changes to the list of authors or the Contact person, RevMan does not check with
Archie if you have permission to do so. But when a review is checked in, your author changes will only
take effect in Archie if you have the relevant permission. The report shown after you check in a review
lists all changes to authors, and whether they were carried out or not.
Archie also allows setting up multiple author affiliations, by associating several of the person's
addresses with the review.
T
O ASSIGN AN AUTHOR
1. Expand the Review information heading in the outline.
2. Right‐click the Authors heading and choose Add Author.
The New Author Wizard opens.
3. Choose whether to add an author that is linked to Archie, or a local record.
Note: Local records should not be used for Cochrane reviews.
4. Type the first name, last name or both.
You can narrow your search to authors in one Review Group by using the Author in Review
Group pull‐down list, or to those people with an author document role by using the Authors
on This Review Only check box.
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