====== RevMan Web ======

=== 🧱 Antiquated Foundations in a Modern World ===

RevMan Web positions itself as a comprehensive tool for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, yet it remains anchored to outdated design and limited functionality that undermine its purported benefits.

  * Its interface is **clunky and unintuitive**, carrying over legacy design flaws from desktop predecessors.
  * The software offers **limited support for complex analyses**, lacking advanced statistical methods now standard in meta-research.
  * Collaboration features are basic at best, making multi-author workflows cumbersome.

=== 🔍 Limited Analytical Flexibility ===

  * RevMan Web supports only a narrow range of effect measures and models, preventing nuanced analysis.
  * It cannot easily incorporate **network meta-analysis**, meta-regression, or Bayesian methods.
  * There is **no built-in integration with AI tools or automated data extraction**, forcing manual input that is time-consuming and error-prone.

=== 🧠 Poor Integration with Modern Evidence Ecosystems ===

  * The platform does not connect directly with major literature databases or living evidence platforms.
  * Lack of APIs or export options limits interoperability with other tools like GRADEpro, Covidence, or Elicit.
  * Users must manually manage references and datasets, increasing potential for data fragmentation and error.

=== ⚠️ Epistemic Transparency and Reproducibility Challenges ===

  * Version control is minimal, and tracking changes over time is difficult.
  * Reporting features are rigid and do not allow for nuanced presentation of uncertainty or conflicting evidence.
  * Risk of bias assessments are manual and not linked to dynamic evidence updates.

=== 🧨 Final Verdict ===

RevMan Web is **a legacy tool struggling to keep pace with the demands of modern systematic review and meta-analysis**. Its **clunky interface, limited analytical power, and poor integration** make it ill-suited for agile, collaborative, and rigorous evidence synthesis.

**Recommendation:** Researchers requiring advanced, dynamic, and transparent synthesis tools should seek alternatives or augment RevMan Web with supplementary platforms.

====== Better Alternatives to RevMan Web ======

=== 🥇 R with Meta-Analysis Packages (meta, metafor) ===
  * ✅ Fully customizable and flexible meta-analysis via scripting
  * ✅ Supports advanced methods: meta-regression, network meta-analysis, Bayesian approaches
  * ✅ Open source and widely used in research
  * ➕ **Why better than RevMan Web:**  
    No GUI limitations, full control over analysis and reporting, highly reproducible

=== 🔍 Commercial Platforms: Covidence + DistillerSR ===
  * ✅ Streamlined workflows for screening, data extraction, risk of bias assessment
  * ✅ Collaboration-friendly with version control and audit trails
  * ✅ Automated citation importing and conflict resolution
  * ➕ **Why better than RevMan Web:**  
    Supports the full systematic review process, not just meta-analysis

=== 🤖 AI-Augmented Tools: Elicit + RobotReviewer ===
  * ✅ AI-assisted evidence extraction and risk of bias prediction
  * ✅ Helps prioritize studies and reduces manual workload
  * ➕ **Why better than RevMan Web:**  
    Enhances efficiency and accuracy beyond manual processes

=== 📊 Other Meta-Analysis Software ===

  * **Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA):**  
    User-friendly GUI with powerful statistical options including subgroup and sensitivity analyses

  * **JASP:**  
    Free GUI-based tool integrating frequentist and Bayesian meta-analysis methods

=== 📊 Summary Table ===

^ Tool                          ^ Strengths                                  ^ Why Better Than RevMan Web                   ^
| R (meta, metafor)             | Flexible scripting, advanced methods       | No GUI limits, full control, reproducible     |
| Covidence / DistillerSR       | Full workflow support, collaboration       | Covers screening and extraction workflows     |
| Elicit / RobotReviewer        | AI-assisted data extraction and bias checks| Automates and improves review quality         |
| Comprehensive Meta-Analysis   | Rich statistics, user-friendly              | More features and intuitive GUI                |
| JASP                         | Free, frequentist & Bayesian meta-analysis | Modern interface and strong statistical power |

=== 🧠 Final Recommendation ===
  * Use **[[R packages]]** if comfortable with coding and need advanced analysis.
  * Use **Covidence or DistillerSR** for team-based review management.
  * Use **Elicit or RobotReviewer** to speed up evidence extraction and bias assessment.
  * Use **RevMan Web** only for simple meta-analyses or if required by collaborators.