robvis
robvis is a tool that helps researchers create clear, high-quality visualizations of risk-of-bias assessments in systematic reviews. It can be used either through the R programming language or via a web-based app, making it accessible to users with different technical skills.
At a glance
Use when
You have completed risk-of-bias assessments in a systematic review and need clear, standardized visualizations for reporting or presentation.
Avoid when
You are still conducting risk-of-bias assessments and lack structured input data, or you require statistical adjustment for bias rather than visualization.
Inputs
Risk-of-bias assessment data (e.g., from Cochrane RoB 2 or other tools), typically in tabular format with studies as rows and bias domains as columns.
Outputs
Visualizations including traffic-light plots, summary plots, and funnel-style plots suitable for publication or interactive exploration.
How it works
robvis is an R package and Shiny web application designed to visualize risk-of-bias assessments from systematic reviews. It supports customizable, publication-ready plots such as traffic-light and funnel-style plots, enabling exploration and presentation of bias assessments across studies and domains. The tool integrates with common evidence synthesis workflows and allows input from various bias assessment tools like Cochrane’s RoB 2.
- HTA domains
- Clinical Effectiveness
- Categories
- Reporting Standards
- Assumptions
- Users have completed risk-of-bias assessments using a structured tool and have data coded by domain and study.
- Strengths
- Generates publication-quality graphics with minimal effort,Available both as an R package and a web app, increasing accessibility,Supports interactive exploration through the Shiny interface,Customizable visual outputs to suit different reporting needs
- Limitations
- Does not perform risk-of-bias assessments; only visualizes pre-assessed data,Limited to visualization and does not support statistical synthesis or bias adjustment,Dependent on consistent and accurate input coding from reviewers
- Also known as
- Risk-of-bias VISualization
Questions this answers
- › What is the risk of bias across studies in a systematic review?
- › How does risk of bias vary by domain (e.g., randomization, blinding)?
- › Which studies contribute the most to overall bias in a review?
- › How can risk-of-bias assessments be clearly presented for publication?
- › Can risk-of-bias data be interactively explored?
- › Is there a standardized way to visualize risk-of-bias results?
References & sources
Related methods
Beta record. Based on the original catalogue summary; primary-source enrichment pending.