DEX Workflow

The steps may vary depending if you performing data extraction (DEX) as part of the:

• DEP team - consultants or research centre colleagues asked to do DEX of the standard set of DEP fields as part of periodical DEP updates (typically when new studies have been identified during monthly searches)

• Other Projects - consultants or research centre colleagues asked to do DEX as part of other projects (typically when new studies have been identified for an Evidence Gap Map). DEX involves both the standard set of DEP fields (e.g. Evaluation method, Country, Intervention from DEP taxonomy), and custom fields that are specific to the project (e.g. Population, Intervention from the EGM project). 

The two different processes will be referred to below as either the DEP team or Other projects.

1.1 When studies are assigned:

• • • • DEP team : 

        • • The DEP coordinator will send an email to confirm your assignments and the target date.

          • You will also see an allocation written in your name in column in the DEP Consultant Hours and Work Allocation sheet, followed by an email notification that the records have been assigned to you in the DEP Admin panel

      • For other projects:

        • • Your respective project manager/coordinator will communicate your assignments and the target date. This may vary depending on the project but is typically done by email, MS Teams and excel sheet or/and on EPPI Reviewer. It may involve working on records already created in the Admin panel by someone else, or you may be asked to create new records yourself. You should always keep track of the list of DEP records (and their DEP ID's) that you created. Your respective project manager/coordinator should let you know where to store it.  

Using the DEP Admin panel to search for studies by DEP ID using the search box

1.3 Retrieve the full text of the study:

• DEP Team:

  • 1. • You may find it most efficient searching for the PDF on Google Scholar but if the paper is not available,  you can always search for it using EPPI reviewer

       • Login to EPPI Reviewer and click 'DEP IEs/SR Database' under 'Review Name' on the EPPI home screen

       • Clicking Coding UI on the right side of the project will take you directly to your incomplete assigned work

• For projects:

  • 1. • Follow instructions from your coordinator.

For DEP: Click the blue hyperlinked text on the left (DEP IEs/SR database) to take your to the search panel. Click Coding UI, on the right to take you to your assigned tasks.

For  other projects: This may differ across projects so please ask your project manager/coordinator.

2.1 Check if the study is indeed includable and should be extracted

• DEP Team: 

  • 1. • Open the record -> click on the Screening tab -> fill in the 'Screened by' and 'Screening date' fields with your name and today's date. If you have been assigned a record by the DEP team you can assume that the study is includable. We ask you to fill in the above two fields as a way of keeping track of who extracted the study. If in the course of extracting a study you have any doubts about its eligibility contact the DEP coordinator.

• Other projects:

  • 1. • Ask the project manager/coordinator for instructions what to do about the Screening tab. 

       • As other projects may not follow the same inclusion criteria as the DEP, some records may be included in the project but not meet the requirements to be published in the DEP. 

2.2 Fill in the data extraction form. Please ensure to always capture the minutes it takes you to extract each tab on the admin panel as accurately as possible.

• DEP Team: 

  • • • • • On the 3ie admin panel, click on the study title. This will open a form with the standard set of DEP DEX fields.

          • Follow the relevant DEP protocol and consult the taxonomies during data extraction. Extract ALL mandatory fields.

• Other projects: 

  • • • • Extract all standard DEP DEX fields for records that meet DEP criteria (DEP = Yes in the Screening tab) unless the record has already been extracted by someone else. If that is the case, the project coordinator should make this clear for you when making the assignment.

        • Extract selected DEP DEX fields for records that do not meet DEP criteria (DEP = No in the Screening tab) means only those that are necessary for the project (e.g. Country but not Intervention using the DEP taxonomy). The fields that need to be extracted for such records will be clearly communicated by your project manager/ coordinator.

        • Extract project-specific fields for all records (regardless if they meet DEP criteria) added to the map. These fields are called 'Custom fields’ and the process for extracting them is described below:

2.2.1 Upon entering the DEP dashboard you will click 'Manage Projects.' This is a part of the left side menu on the screen.

2.2.2 Click on the name of your relevant project under 'Project Name' to open the Project. 

2.2.3 Click on the Records tab to show a list of studies already assigned to the project. 

2.2.4 Find the record by copying and pasting part of the title and highlighting it in quotation marks (otherwise the results may be too many). Once you find the record that you want to extract, click on the 'Custom field data' icon to open the DEX form for project-specific fields (e.g. EGM project-specific intervention). These fields will be different across every project and your Project coordinator will provide guidance on how to fill them in. Clicking on the record title will direct you to the DEX form for DEP fields.

See screenshots below.

2.3 Ask questions if anything is not clear:

• DEP Team: 

  • • • If you have any issues or questions while you are performing data extraction of DEP fields , you can list them in the FAQ sheet found in the DEP DEX Tracker after ticking the 'Data extraction not completed - Question' box. Ensure to check back regularly to see if it has been answered.

• Other projects:

  • • • Follow guidance from your project manager/coordinator.

2.4 Mark DEX status as completed.

• DEP Team: 

  • • • You will be assigned a coding tool on EPPI Reviewer which you are to complete after the extraction is done. This tool can be found on the left-hand side of an opened study. It is called 'Data Extraction Status.' When you click on it (2.4.1) this tray will have 4 options within it: 'Data extraction completed', 'Data extraction not completed - Question', 'Data extraction not completed - Exclude', 'Data extraction not completed -Health' (2.4.2). 

• Other projects:

  • • • Follow guidance from your project manager/coordinator.

• If QA staff review your extractions, they will upload feedback to your individual folder in the Data Extraction folder.

  • • • The QA staff will notify you when your feedback has been uploaded

• Review your feedback carefully and make any amendments which are advised

  • • • If you have any questions regarding your feedback, you can list these in the FAQ sheet on the DEX DEP Tracker or you can email the QA staff directly (please check who provided you the feedback in column N of the tracker)

• Once you’ve completed the amendments:

  • • • Email the QA staff who conducted your feedback to notify them that your amendments are complete. Once your corrections are checked, the coordinator will assign a new batch of studies to you.

• QA staff will review your amendments. If they are happy with the extractions they will log a completion date for the study on the DEP DEX Tracker. If there are still ongoing issues:

  • • • For relatively minor issues: QA staff will make the corrections to complete the study, however you will be notified of these corrections.

      • For bigger issues: QA staff will contact you directly to address any confusion

• DEP team:

  • • You will be notified by the coordinator when assignments are made

    • When you finish an assignment, notify the DEP coordinator so the QA process can start, and new records can be assigned 

    • You will be notified by the QA staff member when feedback is ready

    • When you have made any necessary amendments, contact the DEP coordinator.

• Other Projects: 

  • • Instructions will be given by the respective project manager.