Bias Assessor (risk-of-bias, lightweight)
Goal: make evidence quality explicit in a way that is quick, consistent, and auditable.
Inputs
- •
papers/extraction_table.csv
Outputs
- •Updated
papers/extraction_table.csv
Recommended fields
Use a simple 3-level scale (all lowercase): low | unclear | high.
Suggested columns to add (if missing):
- •
rob_selection - •
rob_measurement - •
rob_confounding - •
rob_reporting - •
rob_overall - •
rob_notes
Workflow
- •Read
papers/extraction_table.csvand identify the set of included studies. - •If RoB columns are missing, add them (keep names stable once introduced).
- •For each study, fill each RoB domain:
- •
low: design/reporting plausibly controls the bias - •
unclear: not enough information to judge - •
high: clear risk (e.g., missing controls, ambiguous measurement, selective reporting)
- •
- •Set
rob_overallconservatively:- •
highif any domain ishigh - •
unclearif nohighbut at least oneunclear - •
lowonly if all domains arelow
- •
- •Add 1–3 short notes in
rob_notesthat justify the rating.
Definition of Done
- • Every included paper row has all RoB columns filled.
- • Values are strictly from
low|unclear|high(no free-form scale drift). - • Notes are short and specific (what was missing / what was strong).
Troubleshooting
Issue: the table has mixed or inconsistent RoB column names
Fix:
- •Normalize to the recommended column names and keep a single set across all rows.
Issue: the paper lacks enough methodological detail
Fix:
- •Prefer
unclearwith a concrete note (“no details on X”) rather than guessing.