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Stage Filtering

SyRF allows you to control which studies appear in which stages using configurable filter rules. Instead of every stage seeing all project studies, each stage has its own study pool defined by rules that reference screening outcomes from other stages. This is what makes multi-stage screening pipelines work.

Why Stage Filtering Matters

In a multi-stage review, you want studies to flow through a pipeline:

  1. Title/Abstract Screening -- all imported studies
  2. Full-Text Screening -- only studies that passed Title/Abstract
  3. Data Extraction -- only studies that passed Full-Text

Without filtering, every stage would show every study. Filtering lets you configure each stage's scope explicitly.

Setting Up Filters

Accessing Filter Configuration

Navigate to a stage's Settings > Study Pool. Here you define which studies appear in this stage.

Adding Filter Rules

  1. Click Add Filter Rule.
  2. Choose the rule type. The most common rule is a Profile Outcome rule: "Include studies where Screening Profile X outcome is Included."
  3. Select the screening profile whose outcomes you want to filter by.
  4. Select the outcome values to include (e.g., "Included", or "Included and Conflict").
  5. Click Save.

Combining Rules

You can add multiple filter rules and combine them with AND or OR logic:

  • AND: Studies must match all rules to appear in this stage
  • OR: Studies must match at least one rule

For most multi-stage pipelines, a single rule is sufficient: "Include studies where Profile X outcome is Included."

Changes Take Effect Immediately

When you save a filter rule, the system recomputes the study pool for the stage. New study selections reflect the updated pool immediately. Studies that a reviewer has already started working on are not affected.

How Study Pools Work

The study pool is the set of studies eligible for screening or annotation in a stage. Here is what you need to know:

  • Pools update automatically. As studies move through your pipeline and receive screening decisions, the pools of downstream stages update. When a study is included in Stage 1, it automatically appears in Stage 2's pool (if Stage 2 filters for Stage 1 inclusions).
  • Fair distribution. Studies within a pool are presented to reviewers in random order. No reviewer can cherry-pick easy or interesting studies. This is the same randomisation principle used in reconciliation.
  • Deduplication exclusion. Studies that have been identified as duplicates (see Deduplication) are automatically excluded from all study pools. You do not need to add a filter rule for this.

Common Filter Patterns

Here are typical configurations for multi-stage reviews:

Two-Stage Pipeline (Title/Abstract then Full-Text)

Stage Filter Rule Description
Stage 1: T/A Screening No filter (all project studies) Every imported study appears
Stage 2: Full-Text Screening Profile "T/A Criteria" outcome is "Included" Only studies that passed T/A screening

Three-Stage Pipeline (T/A, Full-Text, Extraction)

Stage Filter Rule Description
Stage 1: T/A Screening No filter All studies
Stage 2: Full-Text Profile "T/A Criteria" = "Included" Passed T/A
Stage 3: Data Extraction Profile "FT Criteria" = "Included" Passed Full-Text

Including Conflicted Studies

In some workflows, you want to include studies with screening conflicts in the next stage (for a senior reviewer to re-screen with the full text):

  • Filter rule: Profile "T/A Criteria" outcome is "Included" OR "Conflict"

This sends both included and unresolved studies to the next stage.

Stages Without Filters

Stages without filter rules continue to work exactly as they do today -- all project studies are in scope. Filter rules are purely additive. You only need to configure them when building multi-stage pipelines. Existing single-stage projects are unaffected.