Synthesis Current Version: 2.4 Beta 8b
Updated: February 1, 2015
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Version 2.4 (Feb 2015) - Beta 8b
- Feature: Embedded Search (PubMed, PMC, IEEE) - Feature: PubMed links for related pubmed citations, literature reviews - Feature: Multi-value auto tagging Version 2.3 (August 2014) - Beta Unreleased
- Current working directory fix - Highlight MESH headings for keywords - Publication meta data (PMID, Affiliation, Journal Short Name, Journal Place, Article Language, Article Type, Journal ISSN) Version 2.2.0c Beta 9Synthesis 2.2.0c Beta 6 version addresses the following:
- Addition of WordCloud for navigating references - Checks for previous Synthesis project PDFs - Extracts image/figure Version 2.2.0c Beta 6Synthesis 2.2.0c Beta 6 version addresses the following:
- Addition of ezProzy in the Setting/Preferences. ezProxy allows Synthesis to access their Institutions library PDF subscriptions. An example of the ezProxy settings are as follows: http://ezproxy.ucalgary.ca/login?user=$(user)&pwd=$(pwd)&url=$(url) $(url) - this will get replaced with the actual URL to download $(user) - gets replaced with user name $(pwd) - gets replaced with pwd - The registered version of Synthesis now includes the Professional PDF Viewer which adds the following capabilities: faster PDF rendering, professional fonts and annotations (highlighting, comments). Version 2.2.0c Beta 4Synthesis 2.2.0c Beta 4 version addresses the following:
- Annotate Visible Columns which allows a custom column to be created based upon your search terms. - Backup of current project created when importing a .ksp file. Located in project directory under \backup Version 2.2.0c Beta 3Synthesis 2.2.0c Beta 3 version addresses the following:
- Corrected issue with importing secondary reviewer information Version: 2.2.0c Beta 2Synthesis 2.2.0c Beta 2 version addresses the following:
- Import of RIS (Reference Manager) corrected - Export to RIS allows Synthesis data to be imported into RefWorks and other Cite and Write software. - Grey Literature (Tools/Grey Literature) - Ability to cut and paste BiBTex articles (through Grey Literature) - Synthesis now exports in CSV format instead of Excel format - All bibliographic imports are saved in the project directory under \import. Each file is also timestamped as to when it was imported. - Drag and Drop bibliographical reference corrected - Mac (dmg) release - Speed enhancements Version 2.3 Final ReleaseThe goal is to have Version 2.3 out of Beta Mode for May 2013 and final release for August 2013. This release will address the following:
- Improved method for manually reviewing duplicates - Backup system when merging Synthesis databases (primary and secondary reviewers) - Addition of Tooltips (information when you hover over a button) - Some enhanced user feedback (Dialog Windows) - Automated Annotate Custom Column based upon search criteria. Known Issues:De-Duplication:
Synthesis does a good job at automatically de-duplicating references. However, there are some extreme cases that we can not account for. The first is if an abstract is identical except for 5% -- this is often found where you have the same abstract but a few words are changed by the author while using a default abstract template like replacing "hypertension" for "diabetes". Another example is "Part I"/"Part II" abstracts. To review the original and duplicate references go to Project > Project Settings and select "Duplicates mode". Statistics on automated duplicate algorithm (13,395 references from 4 source databases): PPV - 0.987 NPV - 0.999 Sensitivity - 0.997 Specificity - 0.996 Scopus Journal Titles: Another main issue is importing references from "Scopus" -- as they may have many of the same abstracts as Medline/PubMed -- but they have typed them in differently. Even the Journals are in a different format -- "Epidemiology and Medicine" vs "Epidemiology & Medicine". The way that I have dealt with this, at the start of the project, is to create a new Exclusion reason called "Excluded - Duplicate" and then sort by title or author -- and then manually go through all of the references looking at the title/author column to see if the same paper appears twice (note: I have found identical papers published in different journals). This method is rather fast -- but ensures you have removed any duplicates. |
LicensingSynthesis is currently in Beta mode. We expect to have a commercial version ready for May 2015. The commercial version will be called v2.4 .
If you want to use Version 2.2.x, realizing it is still in development/ testing mode, you can download Synthesis (below) and purchase a licence (below). License keys are unique to your computer and are valid for all Version 2.x releases. Downloadsnote: without a licence key, Synthesis will only allow you to import 50 references. The trial version also uses a limited PDF viewer which is slower and does not include professional fonts.
Windows Mac Linux (usage: java -jar -Xmx1g Synthesis.jar) User Manual Summary Sheet - http://synthesis.info/download/synthesis/Synthesis-SummarySheet.pdf FlowChart - http://synthesis.info/download/synthesis/Synthesis-Flowchart.pdf TutorialsSeveral short 5 minute tutorials have been created. these are not production quality but should show some of the features of Synthesis.
http://screencast.com/users/HealthSim SDOH (Social Determinants of Health) series: SDOH-Lesson1 - Searching PubMed, importing and project settings SDOH-Lesson2 - Downloading PDFs and searching keywords SDOH-Lesson3 - Data Collection with Custom Columns SDOH-Lesson4 - Tabs (Statistics, etc) and Tools (Kappa, Sampling, etc) Purchase License KeyOnce Synthesis is installed, go to Help > Register, and copy and paste the Installation ID below. Within 24 hours, the Registration Key will be sent to you. Licenses are unique to your computer and valid for Version 2.x. By purchasing a license you agree to the terms and conditions of the software (http://synthesis.info/download/synthesis/Synthesis-license.pdf).
CitationYergens D, Ray J, Doig CJ. KSv2: Application for Enhancing Scoping and Systematic Reviews. American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 2012 Annual Symposium. November 2012. (poster)
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