Evidence-based research training for medical students — Amman, Jordan
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Method stage Live cohort Intermediate

Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis

Eight weeks from a vague clinical question to a registered protocol, a screened library and a forest plot you can defend in front of a reviewer.

What you will be able to do

Frame and register

Turn a clinical hunch into a PICO question and a registerable protocol.

Search properly

Build and translate a search string across PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Cochrane.

Screen and report

Run dual screening, report kappa, and draw a PRISMA flow that reconciles.

Pool the evidence

Pool effect sizes, test heterogeneity, and read your own funnel plot honestly.

Before you start

  • A clinical question you care about, even a rough one
  • Basic familiarity with PubMed
  • A laptop that can install R and Rayyan
  • No prior statistics required

Week by week

Week1

Framing the question

PICO, scope creep, and checking the review has not already been done.

Deliverable: Draft question
Week2

Protocol & registration

Eligibility criteria, outcomes, and a PROSPERO entry that will survive review.

Deliverable: Protocol v1
Week3

Searching

Boolean logic, MeSH, and translating one strategy across four databases.

Deliverable: Search strings
Week4

Screening

Rayyan setup, dual review, kappa, and resolving disagreement on reasons.

Deliverable: Screening log
Week5

Data extraction

Extraction sheets, missing data, and contacting authors without apologising.

Deliverable: Extraction table
Week6

Risk of bias

RoB 2 and ROBINS-I applied to your own included studies.

Deliverable: RoB table
Week7

Meta-analysis in R

Effect measures, random vs fixed effects, heterogeneity, forest plots.

Deliverable: Forest plot
Week8

Reporting

PRISMA 2020 checklist, GRADE summary, and the first draft of your results.

Deliverable: Results draft

Questions students ask first

Can I finish a real review in eight weeks?

You will finish the protocol, the search and the screening. Most students submit the manuscript two to four months later, with the same tutor still reading drafts.

What if I miss a live clinic?

Every session is recorded and your weekly feedback is written, so the clinic is for the stuck parts rather than the content itself.

Do I need a co-author for dual screening?

No. Students without a partner are paired inside the cohort in week 3, and the pairing is reciprocal.

Pairs well with

Data Analysis using SPSS →

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