Version 4.3.4.4 is a release that introduces new, but mostly invisible new features. We are in the final stages of refining a new, machine-learning assisted screening process. Most but not all features are ready for the general public, but producing the appropriate user guidance requires us to complete all the performance evaluation exercises. These include simulations based on existing reviews as well as completing the new screening process on new, real-world, reviews. Therefore this release includes all the new features but keeps them hidden under the hood: EPPI-Centre staff and our collaborators can gain access to them under a strict "on demand" basis.
New Features:
- In "Document Details\Citation Details" a new function is available. After the "Next" button a new button allows to "Show Key terms": this functionality can be used to highlight arbitrary terms as relevant and/or irrelevant. To use it, select a relevant/irrelevant term from the current abstract and click on the appropriate button, you can choose between "Relevant Term", "Irrelevant Term" and "Remove Term". This allows to highlight terms in the title and abstract, and can be used to aid screening by making certain words more visible. The list of terms remains hidden and has no other effect anywhere else in EPPI-Reviewer. More advanced systems to manage the list itself will be published with the next release, please note that only exact matches are shown, wildcards are not implemented and the system ignores word boundaries (if "term" is listed as Relevant, the phrase "highlighting all terms in the abstract" will be shown as "highlighting all terms in the abstract").
- A new "Screening" tab is available to EPPI-Centre collaborators: this allows to use a Support Vector Machine to assist the screening phase. The system is able to gradually learn to recognise items that are likely to be relevant for a given review and prioritise their screening. Full evaluation of this new method is underway, if you are interested in joining our pilot scheme and gain early access to the feature, please contact EPPISupport@ioe.ac.uk.