Version 4.14.0.0 is a major release, which launches the much awaited for ability to exchange data with Zotero Group Libraries via EPPI-Reviewer Web. This allows the use of Zotero to aid the "locate full text" phase of reviews, and of course, means that the Zotero as the “Cite While You Write tool” is easy to use for writing review reports. This release also contains some notable improvements to the "Edit Coding Tools" functionalities of EPPI-Reviewer Web, as well as some small (but hopefully useful) enhancements/fixes.
New in EPPI-Reviewer (Web): exchange data with Zotero
Starting with this release, EPPI-Reviewer (Web) is now able to connect Reviews with Zotero Group Libraries, and thus move references data and full-text documents from one to the other.
We expect that these functionalities will find multiple different applications, depending on varying needs and situations, however, in this first implementation, they have been designed with two main "use cases" in mind:
- Using Zotero to find the full-text PDFs of references and then moving the results back into EPPI-Reviewer (in just a few clicks).
- After finishing the review in EPPI-Reviewer, it's now possible to "push" the list of included studies into Zotero and thus use its "Cite While You Write" functionalities.
The Zotero features are somewhat complex and do require some preliminary setup steps on the Zotero side.
For more details, please see the dedicated help pages here and in particular the setup instructions.
Please note that EPPI-Reviewer will enforce "one to one" relations between Reviews and Zotero Group Libraries: this means that at any one time, you can use one Group Library to exchange data with one and only one review (and vice-versa). We believe that this approach allows us to minimise the risk of importing/exporting unwanted references/items, and in general should help to keep things tidy. Therefore, the general recommendation is to create one Group Library per Review, and give it a unique, clearly identifiable, name. Including the Review ID in the Group Library name is probably a good idea.
EPPI-Reviewer Web: Editing coding tools
In the "edit coding tools" and in "Item details" pages, it is now possible to "move to top/bottom" codes (and tools) with a single click. In addition, in the "edit coding tools" page it is now possible to click on a "move to" icon (an aeroplane taking off) to open the "move to" panel for that code (saving a few clicks). Finally, the "move to" panel has a new "place under" option that allows to move a code in a specific position amongst its siblings. Taken together, these functionalities allow to adjust the order of codes and tools in much faster ways than before. In addition, when opening the "edit coding tools" page, the currently selected code is now automatically brought into view.
EPPI-Reviewer (both versions): new searches for OpenAlex
In the "Update Review", "Search" pages of both versions, two new search options are now present.
- Custom Filter: this functionality allows searches of OpenAlex via their filter option, which is extremely powerful. For example, searching for
type:book,display_name.search:"collaborative learning" will return all books that have the exact phrase "collaborative learning" in their title.
- Custom search: this can be understood as a third form of "free text" search (the other two being: "Word(s) in title" and "Word(s) in title/abstract"), implemented to provide direct access to the (relatively) new "full text search" ability of the OpenAlex API (see: https://blog.ourresearch.org/fulltext-search-in-openalex/).
EPPI-Reviewer Web: UI enhancements.
In a number of pages, Buttons present in the top toolbar may "open a panel" (and will close it, if pressed again). These buttons now have a "selected" style which makes their function more "visible". One of such buttons is: "Run reports" in the References tab.
Coding tool trees in the main right column and in "Edit coding tool": the "selected/active code" (if any) is now highlighted at all times, this provides visual aid for code-driven buttons and actions, such as "(Items) With this code" or "Assign Code".
In the main tab, the "Import items" button now offers a secondary option called "Manage sources". This also appears on top of the "list of references (same tab) and in the "References" tab (secondary option of the "Import Items" button). Clicking on it will open the "import/manage sources" page and activate the "manage sources" tab directly.
Bugfix: downloaded reports.
In EPPI-Reviewer Web, since the main "technology upgrade" delivered this Summer, downloaded reports had lost their formatting (table borders, font colours and appearance, etc.), this problem is now solved.