Step by step
Write your own matrix column
Ask any question of every paper in your own words, and choose the kind of answer you want back.
- Time
- 3 minutes
- Steps
- 5
The templates cover what most reviews need, but your research question is your own. A column In your own words lets you ask any question of every paper: "Which feedback type was studied?", "Was the intervention online or face to face?", "What age were the learners?".
Step 1Choose In your own words
In the matrix, choose Add column. At the top of Add a column, choose In your own words.
Step 2Name the column
Type a short Column name. It is the column's heading in the grid and in your exported spreadsheet, so keep it short: "Feedback type", "Delivery mode".
Step 3Say what the AI should look for
Under What should the AI look for?, describe the answer you want in a sentence, as you would to a research assistant. Be specific about what counts. For example: "The number of participants actually analysed", not just "sample".
The name and this description are what the AI reads, together with each paper's text.
Step 4Choose the kind of answer
Under Kind of answer, choose what comes back:
- Short text: a few words, such as a country or an instrument.
- Long text: a sentence or two, such as a key finding.
- Number: a single number, such as a sample size or a year.
- One choice: one of a list you give, such as "Online" or "Face to face".
- Several choices: any of a list you give.
For One choice and Several choices, type your Choices, one per line. Choices keep your answers tidy and easy to compare across papers.
Step 5Continue and fill
Tick any Research questions this column serves, then choose Continue. The column is added for free, and the fill sheet shows what filling it costs. For a column in your own words, choose Preview on 3 papers first and read the answers: if they miss your meaning, sharpen the description with Rename or redefine before you fill the rest. See Build a literature matrix.
What's next
- Change a column and refresh outdated cells if you want to reword the question later.
- Reading a matrix cell: what Suggested, Not reported and No source found mean.