Living systematic reviews: 2. Combining human and machine effort.

Journal: Journal of clinical epidemiology
Published Date: Sep 11, 2017

Abstract

New approaches to evidence synthesis, which use human effort and machine automation in mutually reinforcing ways, can enhance the feasibility and sustainability of living systematic reviews. Human effort is a scarce and valuable resource, required when automation is impossible or undesirable, and includes contributions from online communities ("crowds") as well as more conventional contributions from review authors and information specialists. Automation can assist with some systematic review tasks, including searching, eligibility assessment, identification and retrieval of full-text reports, extraction of data, and risk of bias assessment. Workflows can be developed in which human effort and machine automation can each enable the other to operate in more effective and efficient ways, offering substantial enhancement to the productivity of systematic reviews. This paper describes and discusses the potential-and limitations-of new ways of undertaking specific tasks in living systematic reviews, identifying areas where these human/machine "technologies" are already in use, and where further research and development is needed. While the context is living systematic reviews, many of these enabling technologies apply equally to standard approaches to systematic reviewing.

Authors

  • James Thomas
    EPPI-Centre, Social Research Institute, University College London, London, England, UK.
  • Anna Noel-Storr
    Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group University of Oxford United Kingdom.
  • Iain Marshall
    Primary Care & Public Health Sciences, Kings College, Capital House, 42 Weston Street, London, UK.
  • Byron Wallace
    College of Computer and Information Science, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
  • Steven McDonald
    Cochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia.
  • Chris Mavergames
    Cochrane, St Albans House, 57-59 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QX, UK.
  • Paul Glasziou
    Centre for Research on Evidence Based Practice, Bond University, 14 University Drive (Off Cottesloe Drive), Robina, QLD 4226, Australia.
  • Ian Shemilt
    EPPI-Centre, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, London, London, WC1H 0NR, UK.
  • Anneliese Synnot
    Cochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia; Centre for Health Communication and Participation, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
  • Tari Turner
    Cochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia.
  • Julian Elliott
    Cochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia; Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University and Alfred Hospital, 55 Commercial Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia.

Keywords

External Resources

Popular Topics
Recent Journals