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Systematic Reviews

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Open Access 01-12-2017 | Letter

RevManHAL: towards automatic text generation in systematic reviews

Authors: Mercedes Torres Torres, Clive E. Adams

Published in: Systematic Reviews | Issue 1/2017

Abstract

Background

Systematic reviews are a key part of healthcare evaluation. They involve important painstaking but repetitive work. A major producer of systematic reviews, the Cochrane Collaboration, employs Review Manager (RevMan) programme—a software which assists reviewers and produces XML-structured files. This paper describes an add-on programme (RevManHAL) which helps auto-generate the abstract, results and discussion sections of RevMan-generated reviews in multiple languages. The paper also describes future developments for RevManHAL.

Methods

RevManHAL was created in Java using NetBeans by a programmer working full time for 2 months.

Results

The resulting open-source programme uses editable phrase banks to envelop text/numbers from within the prepared RevMan file in formatted readable text of a chosen language. In this way, considerable parts of the review’s ‘abstract’, ‘results’ and ‘discussion’ sections are created and a phrase added to ‘acknowledgements’.

Conclusion

RevManHAL’s output needs to be checked by reviewers, but already, from our experience within the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group (200 maintained reviews, 900 reviewers), RevManHAL has saved much time which is better employed thinking about the meaning of the data rather than restating them. Many more functions will become possible as review writing becomes increasingly automated.

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Title: RevManHAL: towards automatic text generation in systematic reviews
Authors: Mercedes Torres Torres
Clive E. Adams
Publication date: 01-12-2017
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: Systematic Reviews / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 2046-4053
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-017-0421-y

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

RevManHAL: towards automatic text generation in systematic reviews

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

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