Hello Mat,

Although there are a number of ways one could approach coding in EPPI-Reviewer 4 I can describe what we normally do.

You mention inclusion/exclusion criteria so I will assume you are talking about screening. We would first set up a screening criteria code set. We normally set it up as a series of exclusion and inclusion criteria. Depending on the type of exclusion criteria you are applying a coding tool might look similar to this:

Screening on Title and Abstract

• Exclude on date
• Exclude on target group
• Exclude on intervention
• Exclude on evidence
• Exclude on country
• Include base on title and abstract

Each code would be 'Selectable (show checkbox)'. We are also using a single level in the screening tool so when we run comparison reports all of the coding will be visible at the same level. The approach to coding we are taking is that if we can exclude it on any of the criteria, the item is gone. If we can't exclude it based on the criteria then we must say it is included based on title and abstract. These included items will move forward in the process.

Once this coding tool is set up we then allocate items for each person to code. If we are carrying out double screening we would allocated the same items to two people. This would be done in the Collaborate tab.

Once these work assignments are created the system will keep track on which items each person has coded or not coded. If a user pulls up their 'Remaining' items in the Collaborate tab the items are listed in Documents tab. The user would then click into the first item and they would find themselves in the Document details window. In this window the user can move through their items and select an appropriate criteria. In this type of coding tool we normally only apply one criteria. If the item can be excluded on one criteria then we can ignore the item after that. Some users may want to click as many Exclusion criteria as they wish. It really depends on what approach the user decides to take.

Once the user has moved through their items they will have a number of coded items marked with an include or exclude screening code. A user can see how the the items have been coded by running a frequency report.

What I have described up to this point is detailed in the section 'Easy introduction to EPPI-Reviewer 4' in the user manual. As well, there is a similar video on our YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/eppireviewer4).

At this point, if the user wishes, they could assign the Exclude flag to the items marked with an Exclude criteria using the 'select icons to be included or excluded'. The exclude flag is a mechanism to help manage your items. This flag is not tied directly to any of your coding tools as there could be many reasons why an item is marked as 'Exclude' and could be based on activities carried out using multiple coding tools.

Depending on whether you are carrying out single or double coding, the process I described might also involve comparing your results and reconciling your differences but the overall approach would be the same.

As I originally mentioned, there are many ways to approach coding in a systematic review so we have made EPPI-Reviewer very flexible to accommodate whatever the user chooses to do.

Best regards,

Jeff