(Beta testing) Summary of findings tables in RevMan

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Add a structured summary of findings table in RevMan 

To add a structured summary of findings (SoF) table, go to Contents > Summary of findings. Select Add table using RevMan.

Choose the analysis group you want to use for the table that you are creating. RevMan builds the table structure based on that analysis group:

• Each main analysis becomes one row of the SoF table.

• Supporting analyses are not included in the SoF table.  

The outcomes listed in your SoF table depend on whether the analyses are marked as main or supporting in the analysis group. If the table is missing outcomes, check whether the underlying analysis was set as supporting instead of main. For guidance on this, see Pre-define analyses. 

How to update data in structured summary of findings tables in RevMan 

The table row layout comes from the analysis group, mirroring the number and order of the main analyses. To change the order of rows, or to add/exclude rows in your SoF table, you must update the underlying analysis group in the Analyses section. See Pre-define analyses. 

Edit table content

To edit fields within the table, select Edit table. Then, hover over a section to reveal the edit icon. Click on it to make changes.  

Review your changes carefully, as some edits update only the table, while others update content elsewhere in RevMan. 

Synthesis PICO 

If you edit the Population and Setting fields, the changes will apply to the analysis group.

Edits to experimental/control group descriptions will be reflected in the Review criteria section. As a result, it will also update any other SoF table using the same intervention.

If you change an outcome/analysis name in the Outcomes column, this changes the analysis name. Note that you can also add follow-up length to display in the table. 

Absolute effects, narrative results and no results contributing to an analysis 

RevMan automatically provides a control risk or effect, but you can choose to enter it yourself, for example from a representative study. The risk or effect of the intervention will then be calculated.

You should always describe how you achieved the control risk or effect in the dedicated footnote. For guidance on how to select the control risk calculation, see Chapter 14.1.6.3 Best estimate of risk with comparator intervention of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and How to present an informative summary of findings table for systematic reviews of interventions: A tutorial.  

The relative effect measure column reflects the underlying analysis setup and data. To change it, you must update the analysis settings or the study data. See Statistical settings for random effects analyses. 

For narrative results, click on the text field to update it. 

If no results contribute to one of the main analyses included in the table, RevMan displays a default text explaining that no studies measuring the specific outcome have been identified. 

Certainty of evidence

You can grade the certainty of evidence for each analysis directly in the table or from the certainty of the evidence tab on the analysis. For guidance about grading the certainty of evidence, see Chapter 14.2 Assessing the certainty or quality of a body of evidence of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

Reasons must be provided for each downgrading or upgrading decision, using the format described in Chapter 14.3 Describing the assessment of the certainty of a body of evidence using the GRADE framework of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

Reasons can be reused across the review. You can edit the shared reasons by clicking the footnotes at the bottom of the table. Note that changes will impact all tables using the same reasons.