Program overview
A structured mentorship built around one complete review
Across eight focused weeks, live online weekend teaching, weekday project work, and individualized guidance stay connected. Participants learn each method at the point it is needed in a real systematic review and meta-analysis.
- 01Topic & FeasibilityDefine the question
- 02ProtocolPlan the review
- 03Search & ScreeningFind the evidence
- 04Extraction & AppraisalEvaluate the studies
- 05Meta-AnalysisSynthesize the results
- 06ManuscriptCommunicate the research
THE ANCHOR PROJECT
ONE COMPLETE REVIEWHow the program works
Teaching and project work move together
Each week follows a deliberate cycle: understand the method, use it to make a research decision, and refine that decision through project-specific feedback.
The anchor project
Apply each stage to a real research project.
A feasible topic is provided at the start. Participants assess its novelty and feasibility, then develop the protocol, search, screening, extraction, appraisal, analysis, and manuscript as connected parts of the same research project.
Weekend
01
Live teaching
Methods are introduced, demonstrated, and discussed in live online weekend sessions, with time for questions and project-specific clarification.
Weekdays
02
Practical application
Participants apply the weekend teaching to the real review project, turning concepts into documented research decisions and outputs.
Throughout
03
Personalized mentorship
One-on-one guidance connects teaching with project work and responds to the methodological needs of the participant and project.
The eight-week pathway
Each week produces work the next week depends on
The sequence follows the natural research workflow, ending with manuscript finalization and submission preparation. Detailed objectives and practical tasks are available on the curriculum page.
Week 1
Introduction, Topic Selection & Feasibility
Week 2
Eligibility Criteria, Search Strategy & Study Protocol
Week 3
Literature Search & Screening
Week 4
Data Extraction & Risk of Bias Assessment
Week 5
Meta-Analysis in R
Week 6
Certainty of Evidence & Manuscript Writing
Week 7
Manuscript Writing & Formatting
Week 8
Finalization & Submission
Participation
Beginner-friendly
Who can join
Open to participants from any background. No prior research or meta-analysis experience is required.
What participation requires
Participants should be prepared for live weekend teaching and regular weekday project work throughout the program.
Ethical authorship
Contribution determines authorship
Participation alone does not establish authorship. The policy is based on recognized authorship criteria and the work each contributor actually performs.
- 01
Enrollment does not automatically guarantee authorship or a particular author position.
- 02
Authorship is based on substantive contribution and the ICMJE authorship criteria.
- 03
Author order is determined by contribution and agreed among authors who meet the authorship criteria; no particular author position is guaranteed.
Mentorship beyond eight weeks
What happens after the structured program
The structured teaching phase concludes after eight weeks, but mentorship around the project can continue as needed. Participants may seek guidance on analysis, interpretation, manuscript refinement, and project-related questions that arise afterward, including guidance on responding to journal feedback where relevant.
Journal submission, correspondence, and revisions remain the responsibility of the research team.
Publication is not guaranteed. Editorial and publication decisions remain with the journal; the program provides methodological, writing, submission, and revision guidance.
Waitlist open