Hello Katharina,

You might be adding more complexity to the process than is required. The only click you really need is the selection of the appropriate code in your coding tool. A second click would be the 'Next' button but you could use the 'Auto advance' function to avoid a second click.

When you select/check a code in your coding tool the selection is automatically saved so there is no need to click 'Save' above the citation.

The include/exclude checkbox that sits in the citation (and that you are unchecking) is just a flag that you can apply to an item. It is not tied to any particular coding operation/tool and it is up to you whether you wish to make use of it. When an item is imported into EPPI-Reviewer it is given the 'I' (include) flag. The 'I' flag determines whether the item is displayed when you load your review. Some users like to change the 'I' flag to an 'E' flag for items that have been given an exclude code (while screening) so they don't see their excluded items. You can do this in a bulk operation at any time by clicking on the 'Assign documents to be include / excluded' icon in the 'Documents' tab. This function allows you to select items and then assign the 'I' or 'E' flag to them.

Personally, I prefer to leave all items with the 'I' flag. This avoids the issue of having to run separate operations for the 'I' items and the 'E' items.

Best regards,

Jeff

Hello Katharina,

I wouldn't have believed that auto-advance and hotkeys were missing from the manual but you are correct! These are functions that have been in the program from the early days and we never noticed they weren't documented. We appreciate you drawing this to our attention. I have updated the manual and put the new version online. You can the information on page 44 of the manual.

As for what they are and how they work, turning on Auto-advance (by selecting its checkbox) means the system will automatically advance to the next item each time you select a code. In an operation such as screening where you might only select one code per item this will reduce the number of clicks required to code.

Turning on Hotkeys (by selecting its checkbox) will allow you to select codes using the keyboard rather than the mouse. When it is turned on you can select a codeset (or a code in that codeset) and numbers will appear next to the child codes of your selection. If you then type Ctrl-Shift and the number that code will be selected. You can also combine auto-advance and hotkeys. 

I need to mention that in our last update to EPPI-Reviewer a problem was introduced to the hotkeys function. We have since corrected the problem but the fix will not be available until our next publish.

Best regards,

Jeff

Hello Katharina,

I tried to find your review so I could have a look but it doesn't appear that you are in any shareable reviews (assuming that your user account was set up with your name). You mention a second coder but that wouldn't be possible in a non-shareable review. Perhaps you have a user account with a different name? If you let me know which review you are talking about I can have a look.

I suspect what is happening is that you have your screening codeset set to 'comparison' coding. This means that when you apply codes to an item (using that codeset) that item's coding is not automatically marked as 'complete'. For any item's coding to be available to program's searching and reporting functions the coding must be marked as 'complete'. You mention a second coder so I will assume you are double coding the items. If that is the case you will want to be sure you have created coding assignments so the system can keep track of the work each of you has done. Once the two of you are finished your coding you can then set up a comparison so you can identify your agreements and disagreements. You can then 'complete' your agreements and use the programs reconciliation function to deal with the disagreements.

Best regards,

Jeff

Hello Emily,

Since you are the only person in the review you can quickly switch your coding between 'not complete' and 'complete' in the 'Review statistics' tab without any implications. In the 'Review statistics' tab you will see 778 'Incomplete' items that have been coded by you. If you click the green check mark next to your name (that you will see if you expand 'Screen on Title & Abstract' in the 'Incomplete coding' table) you can mark all of those items as 'complete'. You can then run any reports that you wish. When you are done you do the same thing but in reverse to mark them all as 'not complete' again. In the 'completed coding' table you click the red check red next to your name and mark all of the items as 'not complete'.

Once you get to the point where you have a second coder make sure all of the items you have coded are marked as 'not complete' and then use those items to set up your coding assignments.

Best regards,

Jeff