By Jette Thise Pedersen and Kasper Løvschall, Aalborg University Library
Illustration: Covidence

In short, Covidence is a web-based tool that supports preparation of all types of reviews, including systematic reviews, scoping reviews and meta-analyses. You can use it across multiple disciplines, as its features are relevant to any discipline that requires thorough literature screening and data extraction.

A review is a research method where you gather and analyse all available evidence on a specific research question using predefined and repeatable methods.  This is done through systematic literature searches based on international methodological guidelines.

The method helps minimise bias (e.g. selection bias) and strengthens the credibility of the conclusions or recommendations reached by focusing on transparency and quality assurance.  

Reviews can be a time-consuming exercise, which is why specialised tools like Covidence can be a great help in the process. Specifically, it helps manage the entire process of screening references, extracting data and tracking the workflow. 

How to get access?

You can access Covidence through Primo. If you are off campus, you may need to log in to Primo before the link appears.

Notice: You will need to create an account with Covidence first. Their website will tell you that you need to enter your email. It is important that you enter your AAU-Username instead (some users have a match between their email and AAU-Username, which is fine).

Once you have created an account, you will need to login with your AAU-Username going forward. Remember to always select "Sign in with SSO" when using a user account associated with Aalborg University.

Getting started with Covidence

The Covidence Knowledge Base and Covidence Academy have all the information you need to get started and become an expert.

Below you can watch a series of videos to help you get started with your first review.