Web tools for systematic reviews and for developing clinical practice guidelines

*Click each line to expand and click to open each tool. *The web tools use JavaScript, jQuery, jStat. Many thanks to the developers of these.
  • Assess risk of bias, indirectness, do meta-analysis and assess the body of evidence.
    When you have a list of studies for systematic review, you can use this template. If you have a PMID list, you can have links to PubMed for each study reference.
  • Assess risk of bias with the Cochrane risk of bias tool v.2.0, indirectness, do meta-analysis and assess the body of evidence.
    You can use the Cochrane risk of bias tool v.2.0 alogrithm to determine risk of bias by answering signaling questions. (with signaling questions in English)
    Link out: RoB 2 tool: A revised Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials.
  • Meta-analysis.
    If you want to do meta-analyses for RR, RD, OR, HR, MD, StdMD, you can use this web page, Meta-analysis IZ which uses JavaScript and jStat.
    To prepare data use this Excel file.

    If you want to use Minds evaluation sheets and do meta-analysis, you can copy the data in a sheet and directly paste it to Meta-analysis IZ r, reformat, and do meta-analysis. You can use REML (Restricted Maximum Likelihood) or DerSimonian-Laird method. REML is default.
    To prepare data use this Excel book which includes links to R scripts for meta-analysis of RR, OR, RD, HR, MD, SMD, DTA using R packages (2025.1 updated). metafor, forestplot, and mada. You need R installed but run one line script after copy the data to get forest plots and funnel plots in R.
  • Assist to assess risk of bias with the Cochrane risk of bias tool v.2.0.
    The Cochrane risk of bias tool v.2.0 alogrithm to determine a risk of bias by answering signaling questions. If no matching alogorithm, you get an open circle. Click the circle to see the current algorithm.

    You can see the helpful explanations to each item by clicking the line. You can also set bias effect directions if needed. Only in the Japanese version
    RoB 2 tool: A revised Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials
  • pmSearch: a tool to search PubMed and managing references.
    You can make search queries, search PubMed, get the retrieved reference list, select references, and make an assessment sheet.
  • Benefit and harm assessment
    Calculate benefit-harm balance by absolute effects weighted on importance of outcomes (values), make bar charts, and make pictograms.
    Here's an example of systemic steroid for COVID-19 with SoF data of WHO recommendation.