A screening criteria checklist allows you to present a set of criteria the collaborators should consider during screening before “including” or “excluding” an article. You can set up a plain list, or create a checklist, which the reviewer can then record their decisions. Ticking off the list can be made optional or mandatory depending on your needs.
WARNING: To use criteria checklist, you need to configure it, and then lock it to start screening. Once screening has started, you cannot unlock / edit the criteria. This avoids introducing bias mid-review.
Configure your criteria checklist
To get to the screening criteria checklist, visit the Project Dashboard, and find it below Collaborators, in the screening tools section. Here you have three main options:
List: Display the criteria as a simple list. A nudge to collaborators screening articles to consider these criteria as part of screening each article.
Mandatory: Display the criteria as a list of checkboxes, which must be checked by the collaborator. This provides an ability to ensure all criteria are met during screening. This can become tedious with high-volumes of articles being reviewed, so treat this setting with care.
Optional: Display the criteria as a list of checkboxes, which can be optionally checked by the collaborator. This provides a combination of a simple nudge and the ability to capture significant criteria when important.
Lock your checklist
Under the criteria you’ve created and reordered, there is a toggle to “lock” the criteria list. Locking allows screening to start. Think carefully about your criteria before you lock.
If you need to edit your criteria, you can do so before the first article has been screened.
Stuck with inappropriate criteria checklist configuration?
You have two options if you’re stuck with an inappropriate criteria checklist configuration.
- Start again. You can import your article sets again. The first file you import, enable the “replace all project data” setting. This will reset your project. Note, you’ll need to complete any deduplication processing again.
- Persevere. You’ve made it this far. Using the criteria checklist can be tedious, but data is retained, and included in exports.