Detailed curriculum
Eight weeks. One connected research workflow.
The curriculum follows the natural sequence of a systematic review and meta-analysis. Expand any week to see the complete set of topics drawn from the ESMP program prospectus.
Week 1Introduction, Topic Selection & FeasibilityEstablish the foundations of evidence synthesis and develop a focused, feasible review question.
Topics covered
- Introduction to systematic review and meta-analysis
- Differences between narrative review, systematic review, and meta-analysis
- Overview of the PRISMA 2020 guidelines
- Introduction to the Cochrane Handbook
- Understanding the PICO and PECO frameworks
- PICO formulation and topic selection
- Topic-feasibility assessment
- Assessing topic novelty using the available literature
- What to do when a meta-analysis already exists for a PICO
- When an updated meta-analysis may be appropriate
Week 2Eligibility Criteria, Search Strategy & Study ProtocolTranslate the review question into defensible eligibility criteria, a reproducible search, and a study protocol.
Topics covered
- Defining inclusion and exclusion criteria
- Understanding relevant study designs
- Selecting databases for the literature search
- Developing search terms using keywords and MeSH terms
- Using Boolean operators: AND, OR, and NOT
- Developing a structured search strategy
- Adapting the search strategy for different databases
- Introduction to systematic-review protocol writing
- Components of a protocol
- Introduction to PROSPERO
- PROSPERO registration
Week 3Literature Search & ScreeningRun the search, manage records, apply eligibility criteria, and document the study-selection process.
Topics covered
- Running the final search strategy across databases
- Exporting search results from databases
- Introduction to screening tools such as Rayyan
- Duplicate removal
- Title and abstract screening
- Full-text screening and eligibility assessment
- Resolving conflicts in screening
- Handling studies with combined populations or outcomes
- Documenting reasons for exclusion
- Finalizing the included studies
- Preparing the PRISMA flow diagram
Week 4Data Extraction & Quality AssessmentBuild a reliable extraction workflow and assess study quality or risk of bias with an appropriate tool.
Topics covered
- Creating a standardized data-extraction sheet
- Extracting study characteristics
- Extracting baseline participant characteristics
- Identifying useful baseline data for subgroup analysis
- Extracting outcome data
- Data interconversions
- Understanding dichotomous, continuous, and effect-size outcomes
- Handling missing or unclear data
- Cross-checking extracted data for accuracy
- Introduction to risk-of-bias and quality assessment
- Selecting the appropriate quality-assessment tool
- Presenting quality-assessment results in tables and figures
Week 5Meta-Analysis in R / RevManPrepare analysis-ready data, run and interpret meta-analyses, and produce publication-quality figures.
Topics covered
- Introduction to R for meta-analysis
- R compared with RevMan
- Introduction to variables, functions, and packages in R
- Required R packages for meta-analysis
- Preparing the analysis sheet for R
- Importing data into R
- Meta-analysis of binary outcomes
- Meta-analysis of continuous outcomes
- Meta-analysis of effect sizes
- Generating and interpreting forest plots
- Fixed-effect and random-effects models
- Methods for pooling in meta-analysis
- Methods for estimating heterogeneity
- Interpreting and addressing heterogeneity
- Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis
- Subgroup analysis
- Publication bias
- Egger's test for detecting publication bias
- Trim-and-fill analysis, where applicable
- Exporting high-quality figures for the manuscript
- Meta-analysis in RevMan, where appropriate
Week 6GRADE Assessment & Manuscript WritingInterpret the synthesis responsibly, assess certainty, and convert the methods and results into manuscript sections.
Topics covered
- Interpreting meta-analysis results
- Understanding clinical and statistical significance
- Introduction to GRADE and certainty of evidence
- Writing the Methods section
- Writing the Results section
- Reporting forest plots, pooled estimates, and heterogeneity
- Reporting sensitivity and subgroup analyses and publication bias
- Preparing manuscript-ready tables and figures
- Preparing supplementary files
Week 7Manuscript Writing & FormattingComplete the remaining manuscript sections and assemble a clear, internally consistent submission draft.
Topics covered
- Writing the Introduction section
- Writing the Discussion section
- Interpreting findings in the context of existing literature
- Discussing strengths, limitations, and clinical implications
- Writing the Conclusion section
- Preparing the abstract and title page
- Structuring and formatting the manuscript in Microsoft Word
- Reference management and citation formatting
- Introduction to reference-management tools such as Mendeley and Zotero
Week 8Finalization & SubmissionReview the complete submission package, choose a suitable journal, and understand the submission process.
Topics covered
- Final manuscript review and editing
- Finalizing manuscript tables, figures, and supplementary files
- Completing the PRISMA 2020 checklist
- Understanding journals and publishers
- Closed-access and open-access journals
- Choosing an appropriate journal and publisher
- Avoiding predatory journals and publication scams
- Understanding author guidelines
- Formatting the manuscript to journal requirements
- Preparing the cover letter
- Understanding the journal-submission process
- Introduction to research conferences and poster presentations
After the structured curriculum
The project may continue beyond week eight
Journal review timelines rarely follow a teaching calendar. ESMP therefore distinguishes the eight-week curriculum from the support that may be needed later.
Post-submission
Journal revision support
- Understanding editor and reviewer comments
- Preparing a point-by-point response letter
- Revising the manuscript in response to reviewer feedback
- Guidance for resubmission after a journal decision
Post-program
Extended mentorship
- Continued guidance after the structured program
- Assistance with analysis, interpretation, and manuscript-related questions
- Peer-based community support and future research collaborations
Next cohort details coming soon