Standard Tagging mode allows you to configure concepts to be extracted via a list of dropdown tags. The tag hierarchy you configure will display the most general concepts at the top (root tags) with more specific concepts beneath (child tags) and this will be replicated in the dropdown list in the Tagging module.

See here for further instructions on applying tags in Standard Tagging mode.

Note: switching between modes results in no loss of data.

Click on the gears icon in the Tagging tab:

This will bring you to the Tag Hierarchy, which will be blank until you have added tags.

Root Tags are the highest level of the hierarchy, and have no parent tags. These should represent the most general categories of qualitative evidence you are gathering. For example, you could create Root Tags representing the patient population, intervention, comparison group, and outcomes (PICO) or similar, and add in any other concepts of interest (such as Study Design).

To create a new Root Tag, click “Create New Tag”:

Then, name the tag, but leave the “Parent Tag” drop-down blank (red box). The lack of a parent tag is what makes it a root tag. Optionally, add a Description to give details to your team on what a tag represents and/or an alias.

You are now ready to build your hierarchy downward from your Root Tags by creating “Child Tags”. Tags should get more specific as they proceed down the hierarchy.

You can build your hierarchy downward by adding tags below the Root Tags. Click “Create New Tag” and then name your Tag. Connect it to a Root Tag by selecting the relevant tag from the dropdown list under Parent Tag. For example, you could nest “Age” as a tag under Patient Population, or “Mortality” under Outcomes, or even nest Outcomes → Adverse Events → Mortality to capture intermediate categories.

Once you have added a child tag, your hierarchy should contain the Root Tag and the tag you created below it. Continue building out child tags until your hierarchy contains a tag for every concept you want to recognize from underlying studies and structure into your Qualitative Synthesis.

If you need some assistance in starting your hierarchy, feel free to import one of our public templates.

If you are looking for Best Practices recommendations on what to include in your hierarchy, see here!

From here, you are ready to apply tags in Standard Tagging mode.