Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis

 As of Summer 2024 Covidence allows LibKey Nomad to locate articles within the platform, thus simplifying the full-text retrieval process. To use it, download and install libkey nomad to your browser. Agree to their privacy policy and set your library to Harvard University (you may change the instituion depending on whose collections you'd like to access if you have a different institutional login, such as for MGB or Children's). Then go to Covidence, log in to your review and find articles. If Libkey Nomad is successfully installed you will see a dark blue box with a green raindrop that reads "Provided by Harvard University" 

There are four different options you will see within Covidence for accessing full text via LibKey Nomad:

• Download PDF will take you to a full-text PDF of the article
• Article Link will take you to a publisher site or database to download a copy of the article
• Access Options will take you to Hollis to request an interlibrary loan (ILL) of the article
• No Libkey Nomad Button - If no button displays, follow other instructions for locating full-text below

After downloading the full-text of the article, upload the article to the corresponding reference under Full-Text review in Covidence.

What do I do if the link doesn't work?

Follow the directions below for locating full-text instead

Covidence also allows for batch processing of full-text articles. This method may be optimal for larger pools of articles that need to be reviewed in full.

From Covidence, export the selected records from the full-text review and upload them into EndNote or Zotero.

• Instructions for Bulk Uploading via EndNote
  • Setting up Harvard Full-Text linking in Endnote
• Instructions for Bulk Uploading via Zotero
  • Setting up Harvard Full-text linking in Zotero (see bottom for setting up OpenURL)

Efficiently use Harvard Library tools that either take you to the PDF or allow you to request a copy through the library's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service. You can use either Harvard Library's HOLLIS catalog or PubMed (Make sure you start at the Countway's Web page). HOLLIS may be the better choice as it contains material that is not included in PubMed.

• To use HOLLIS, search for the reference with the collection set to the default "Catalog & Articles". You can paste in just the DOI, the whole title and author name, or even the whole citation. Usually the reference you're looking for will be at the top of the results.
  - If Harvard has online access, follow the View PDF or Online Access link
  - If Harvard has the article in print only, click "Check Access Options". You'll see Harvard's holdings and you can choose to come to the library to scan the article or choose "Scan & Deliver/Interlibrary" loan to request a copy to be delivered to you.
  - If Harvard has no online access or no print copy, you'll get an option to request the option through Interlibrary Loan.
• In PubMed, make sure you start from the Countway Web page or from a Harvard Library page so the NCBI knows you're interested in Harvard's access (an can authenticate with a HarvardKey). Then search with the DOI, the PubMed ID, or the whole citation. Once you're looking at the Abstract view, follow the "Try Harvard Library" link or the PubMed Central link to get full text. Avoid any publisher link unless it's clearly labled "open access" or "free." If Harvard has online access the Try Harvard Library link will take you right to the pdf. If Harvard doesn't have online access, you'll be taken to a page with options to request a copy.
• It may be worth seeing if you can get some articles through Google. Take the full title "enclosed in quotes" and search Google (not Google Scholar). Sometimes you will find a pdf available somewhere. Usually it will be one of the first five or so links. But don’t click too far. Research Gate and the like will try to get you to register for accounts and such but that is probably a waste of time. Just move on.

The above steps will get you most of the articles. If your ILL request comes back or finds nothing, check the citation. You'd be surprised how many are incorrect. Even a mistake in the issue or volume may result in you not getting the article. If you need help at this point, it's best checking in with a librarian.