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Course 1 of 13 – Foundation Level

How to write a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol

Register on PROSPERO or OSF, Step by Step

Master PRISMA-P-aligned protocol design, PROSPERO and OSF registration, reproducible workspace architecture, and AI-assisted workflows built around explicit human verification. Build a publication-ready protocol on your own real research project, taught by a published meta-analyst with work published in Nature Human Behaviour (2026).

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Preview Lesson
  • 5–6 hours video · 5 Stations · 68 Lessons
  • 5 Smart HTML modules · 5 Audio recaps
  • Final Examination + SynClarity Seal Certificate
  • 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

How to Write a Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis Protocol – Full Course Walkthrough

What You’ll Achieve

Each outcome below is a direct result of building your systematic review and meta-analysis protocol step by step during the course.

PRISMA-P Compliant Protocol

A complete protocol document structured around the applicable PRISMA-P items, with the methodological detail needed for registration and subsequent external review.

Registered Protocol

Register an eligible protocol on the appropriate platform, PROSPERO when the review meets its scope, or OSF as a broader registration option, to create a dated record of prespecified methods and make subsequent changes more transparent and auditable.

Answerable Research Question

Craft a structured research question using PICO, PECO, SPIDER, ECLIPSE, PCC, or PIRT, matched to your discipline and review type.

Reproducible Research Workspace

Set up a structured reference management system, file-naming conventions, and import-ready citation libraries.

SynClarity Seal Eligibility

Meet all criteria for the Synclarity Seal of Methodological Rigor, validating your protocol’s quality and completeness.

Course Syllabus

Five progressive stations guide you from initial concept to registered, publication-ready protocol. Each station builds on the last, with hands-on exercises and AI-assisted workflows.

Lesson 1.1.0: Welcome to the Meta-Journey – How Course 1 Works
Lesson 1.1.1: A History of Evidence Synthesis – From Nightingale to Cochrane
Lesson 1.1.2: The Evidence Hierarchy Pyramid – Why Systematic Reviews Sit at the Top
Lesson 1.1.3: Decision Architecture – Mapping Your Path from Question to Publication
Lesson 1.1.4: The No-Code, No-Fear Approach to Systematic Reviews
Lesson 1.1.5: AI-Enhanced Evidence Synthesis – The Generate-Verify-Document Workflow
Lesson 1.1.6: Station 1 Debrief – What You’ve Built So Far

Lesson 1.2.0: Why a Protocol Comes Before the Review
Lesson 1.2.1: The Protocol as a Scientific and Ethical Contract
Lesson 1.2.2: Transparency and Reproducibility in Systematic Reviews
Lesson 1.2.3: How Protocols Minimize Bias – Selection, Reporting, and Outcome Switching
Lesson 1.2.4: Research Accountability and Integrity in Evidence Synthesis
Lesson 1.2.5: Avoiding Duplicate Reviews – How PROSPERO Protects Collaboration
Lesson 1.2.6: Reflection Exercise – Defining Your Own Review’s Purpose
Lesson 1.2.7: Station 2 Debrief – Your Protocol Rationale, Documented

Lesson 1.3.0: Inside a Real PRISMA-P Protocol – Anatomy and Workflow
Lesson 1.3.1: Anatomy of a PRISMA-P Compliant Protocol
Lesson 1.3.2: PRISMA-P Items 1–5 – Administrative Information (Title, Registration, Authors, Amendments, Support)
Lesson 1.3.3: PRISMA-P Items 6–7 – Rationale and Objectives
Lesson 1.3.4: PRISMA-P Methods Section – Items 8 to 17, Overview
Lesson 1.3.5: PRISMA-P Item 8 – Defining Eligibility Criteria
Lesson 1.3.6: PICO Framework – Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (Item 8.1)
Lesson 1.3.7: PECO Framework – Population, Exposure, Comparison, Outcome (Item 8.2)
Lesson 1.3.8: SPIDER Framework – Qualitative and Mixed Methods Reviews (Item 8.3)
Lesson 1.3.9: ECLIPSE Framework – Health Policy and Management Reviews (Item 8.4)
Lesson 1.3.10: PCC Framework – Population, Concept, Context for Scoping Reviews (Item 8.5)
Lesson 1.3.11: PIRT Framework – Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews
Lesson 1.3.12: Framework Selection Decision Tree – Choosing Between PICO, PECO, SPIDER, ECLIPSE, PCC, PIRT
Lesson 1.3.13: PRISMA-P Item 9 – Information Sources and Database Selection
Lesson 1.3.14: PRISMA-P Item 10 – Drafting Your Search Strategy
Lesson 1.3.15: PRISMA-P Item 11a – Study Records and Data Management
Lesson 1.3.16: PRISMA-P Item 11b – Study Selection Process and Screening
Lesson 1.3.17: PRISMA-P Item 11c – Data Collection Process and Extraction
Lesson 1.3.18: PRISMA-P Item 12 – Data Items and Variables to Extract
Lesson 1.3.19: PRISMA-P Item 13 – Outcomes, Prioritization, and Effect Measures
Lesson 1.3.20: PRISMA-P Item 14 – Risk of Bias Assessment in Individual Studies
Lesson 1.3.21: PRISMA-P Item 15a – Data Synthesis Strategy and Planning
Lesson 1.3.22: PRISMA-P Item 15b – Quantitative Synthesis and Meta-Analysis Plan
Lesson 1.3.23: PRISMA-P Item 15c – Heterogeneity, Subgroup, and Sensitivity Analyses
Lesson 1.3.24: PRISMA-P Item 15d – Narrative Synthesis When Meta-Analysis Is Not Appropriate
Lesson 1.3.25: PRISMA-P Item 16 – Meta-Biases (Publication Bias and Selective Reporting)
Lesson 1.3.26: PRISMA-P Item 17 – GRADE and Confidence in Cumulative Evidence
Lesson 1.3.27: Station 3 Debrief – Your Complete Protocol, Reviewed

Lesson 1.4.0: Why Most Protocols Fail After Registration – and How to Prevent It
Lesson 1.4.1: The Pre-Mortem Workshop – Identifying Failure Points Before They Happen
Lesson 1.4.2: The Integrity Audit – Checking Your Protocol Against PRISMA-P
Lesson 1.4.3: External Stress Test – Anticipating Reviewer and Editor Critique
Lesson 1.4.4: Future-Proofing Your Protocol – Amendments, Living Reviews, and Updates
Lesson 1.4.5: Preparing Your Protocol for PROSPERO and OSF Submission
Lesson 1.4.6: Station 4 Debrief – Your Stress-Tested Protocol

Lesson 1.5.0: From Approved Protocol to Public Registration
Lesson 1.5.1: PROSPERO Registration Step 1 – Review Title and Basic Details
Lesson 1.5.2: PROSPERO Registration Step 2 – Eligibility Criteria
Lesson 1.5.3: PROSPERO Registration Step 3 – Checking for Similar Reviews
Lesson 1.5.4: PROSPERO Registration Step 4 – Review Timeline and Anticipated Completion
Lesson 1.5.5: PROSPERO Registration Step 5 – Linking Your Full Protocol Document
Lesson 1.5.6: PROSPERO Registration Step 6 – Searching and Screening Methods
Lesson 1.5.7: PROSPERO Registration Step 7 – Data Collection Process
Lesson 1.5.8: PROSPERO Registration Step 8 – Outcomes to Be Analyzed
Lesson 1.5.9: PROSPERO Registration Step 9 – Planned Data Synthesis Strategy
Lesson 1.5.10: PROSPERO Registration Step 10 – Current Review Stage
Lesson 1.5.11: PROSPERO Registration Step 11 – Affiliation, Funding, and Peer Review Status
Lesson 1.5.12: PROSPERO Registration Step 12 – Submitting Additional Information
Lesson 1.5.13: Open Science Framework (OSF) Registration – Alternative to PROSPERO
Lesson 1.5.14: Reproducible Research Workspace Architecture – Folders, Files, and Version Control
Lesson 1.5.15: File Naming Conventions for Systematic Reviews
Lesson 1.5.16: Reference Management Infrastructure – Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley Setup
Lesson 1.5.17: The Summit of Course 1 – Your Registered Protocol, Live

Preview a Lesson

  • Lesson 1.1.4: The No-Code, No-Fear Approach to Systematic Reviews

    Title graphic for Lesson 1.1.4 displaying No-Code, No-Fear.
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  • Lesson 1.1.5: AI-Enhanced Evidence Synthesis – The Generate-Verify-Document Workflow

    Title card for Lesson 1.1.5 detailing the Generate, Verify, Document framework.
    Play

  • Lesson 1.3.1: Anatomy of a PRISMA-P Compliant Protocol

    Title slide for Lesson 1.3.1 titled Build a PRISMA-P Protocol.
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  • Lesson 1.5.1: PROSPERO Registration Step 1 – Review Title and Basic Details

    Title graphic for Lesson 1.5.1 showing Register Your Review.
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Your Capstone Project

Course 1 culminates in a real-world deliverable: a complete, registered systematic review protocol, built on your own actual research project, not a hypothetical case.

SynClarity Seal Eligible

What You’ll Submit

A complete PRISMA-P-aligned protocol document (typically 3,000–5,000 words) covering all 17 PRISMA-P checklist items, plus proof of PROSPERO or OSF registration. Built on your own real research project, using MetaSyn’s structured workbook templates.

Assessment Criteria

  • Clear, answerable research question (PICO, PECO, SPIDER, ECLIPSE, PCC, or PIRT)
  • Comprehensive search strategy across at least 3 databases
  • Explicit eligibility criteria and reproducible selection process
  • Defined data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment methods
  • Appropriate synthesis plan (narrative or meta-analytic)
  • Complete PRISMA-P checklist and PROSPERO or OSF registration confirmation

Feedback & Revision

You’ll receive detailed written feedback from Dr. Saeedy Robat personally within 3 business days for founding-cohort members. Protocols meeting all criteria earn the SynClarity Seal of Methodological Rigor, a digital badge you can display on your CV, LinkedIn, and publications.

Learn About the SynClarity Seal

Who Should Take This Course

Whether you are writing your first systematic review and meta-analysis protocol or strengthening an existing draft, this course gives you the complete architecture.

Graduate Students

Master’s and PhD candidates planning thesis-based systematic reviews.

Early-Career Researchers

Postdocs and junior faculty building evidence synthesis portfolios.

Clinicians & Practitioners

Healthcare professionals conducting clinical guidelines reviews.

Policy Researchers

Analysts synthesizing evidence for policy recommendations.

Industry Researchers

R&D teams conducting competitive intelligence or market reviews.

Librarians & Info Specialists

Information professionals supporting systematic review teams.

The SynClarity Guarantee

If you’re not satisfied with the course for any reason within 30 days of enrollment, we’ll refund 100% of your tuition, no questions asked. Your clarity is our promise.

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Read Full Guarantee Terms

Included Protocol Templates and Workbooks in Course One

Working Templates Included in Course 1
PRISMA-aligned, project-ready workbooks designed for real research projects across health, education, policy, social science, and applied linguistics. Each template is filled out alongside the lessons, building your protocol step by step. You finish Course 1 with a registered protocol, not a folder of blank documents.

MetaSyn Academy · Course 1 Resources

PRISMA-P Aligned · Course 1 Core

Systematic Review Protocol Workbook – All Review Types

A working systematic review and meta-analysis protocol template covering all 17 PRISMA-P 2015 checklist items with worked examples across health, education, policy, applied linguistics, and corporate research. Filled out section-by-section alongside Course 1 lessons. Includes Dr. Robat’s expedition tips, common pitfalls, and a built-in framework selector for PICO, PECO, SPIDER, ECLIPSE, PCC, and PIRT.

  • Covers all 17 PRISMA-P items with inline guidance and discipline-specific examples
  • Built-in framework selector: PICO, PECO, SPIDER, ECLIPSE, PCC, PIRT
  • Compatible with PROSPERO, OSF, and all major evidence synthesis registries
Access the protocol workbook
  • Included with Course 1 enrollment
AI-Enhanced · GVD Protocol · Course 1

The MetaSyn AI Skill for Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis & Evidence Synthesis

The MetaSyn AI Skill is a purpose-built evidence-synthesis assistant, not a generic prompt library. It is configured around PRISMA 2020, PRISMA-P, Cochrane methods, AMSTAR 2 and GRADE guidance, with structured support for protocol drafting, eligibility-criteria design, search-strategy translation and reporting checks. Its Generate–Verify–Document (GVD) workflow requires explicit source checking and documentation before AI-assisted outputs are accepted into the research record. One methodological framework, adapted for Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini.

  • Purpose-built for systematic review, meta-analysis and evidence-synthesis workflows
  • GVD verification checkpoints are designed to reduce the risk of unsupported or fabricated AI output; they do not eliminate hallucination risk
  • Available in platform-appropriate implementations for Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini; capabilities may differ by platform
Access the MetaSyn AI Skill
  • Included with Course 1 enrollment, launching within 30 days of academy launch
Pre-Registration Kit · Course 1

Protocol Launch Kit: Pre-Mortem, Integrity Audit and PROSPERO/OSF Registration

You have written your protocol. Now stress-test it before registration. This kit uses a structured pre-mortem and selected criteria drawn from established review-quality, risk-of-bias and search assessment frameworks including AMSTAR 2, ROBIS and PRESS, to identify weaknesses that may later affect conduct, appraisal or peer review. It then guides you through the appropriate PROSPERO or OSF registration pathway. Registration creates a public record; it does not guarantee methodological quality or acceptance. In one PROSPERO cohort, 32% of published reviews had a discrepancy in the primary outcome between the registration record and the final publication, underscoring why prespecified outcomes and transparent amendments matter.

  • A guided pre-mortem that surfaces your protocol’s failure points while they are still cheap to fix
  • A structured integrity audit informed by AMSTAR 2, ROBIS and PRESS, applied only where their domains are relevant to the planned review
  • A registry decision guide and a field-by-field PROSPERO checklist, with the OSF path for scoping and non-health reviews
Access the Protocol Launch Kit
  • Included with Course 1 enrollment

Each workbook is aligned with the guidance relevant to its purpose, including PRISMA-P for protocol development and PRISMA 2020 where completed-review reporting is applicable. Materials are methodology-reviewed by Dr. Saeedy Robat and designed for use alongside ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini where appropriate.

PRISMA-2020 Aligned
Methodology-Reviewed
ChatGPT · Claude · Gemini Ready
Included with Course 1

What Our Students Say

Original testimonials available for verification.

  • Very easy, fluent, and clear explanations. The examples were simple, tangible, and always focused on what was relevant to each section. Overall, clean and well-organized.” Translated. View original →
    Mohammad
    Faradars student
    2023/02/13
  • Compared to other meta-analysis and systematic review courses, this one was outstanding and comprehensive. The software demonstrations were especially clear and up to date. Translated. View original →
    Elham
    Faradars student
    2023/03/01
  • Warm thanks for your effort in this course. The tips were highly practical and immediately applicable. A truly valuable learning experience. Translated. View original →
    Maedeh
    Maktabkhooneh student
    2026/05/13

8,000+ researchers trained through previous editions of Dr. Robat’s systematic review and meta-analysis programs on Faradars and Maktabkhooneh, now expanded and adapted for a global audience through MetaSyn Academy.

Pricing & Enrollment

Choose the learning path that fits your research goals and team structure

Individual

299€

Self-Paced – Founding Cohort

  • Full course access (5 hours)
  • PRISMA-P protocol framework
  • Zotero & folder templates
  • Certificate eligibility
  • Community access
Enroll Now – 299€
  • SynClarity 30-Day Guarantee
Limited Capacity

Individual + Mentored

499€

Guided clarity with Dr. Robat

  • Everything in Individual PLUS
  • 2-3 personal consultations
  • Tailored protocol feedback
  • Priority capstone review
Apply for Mentored Track
  • SynClarity 30-Day Guarantee

Academic / Research Group

1,800€

Department-ready training (up to 10 seats)

  • 10 full asynchronous licenses
  • Standardized team methodology
  • Single invoice for procurement
  • Independent team pacing
  • Centralized group billing
Request Academic Access

Institutional / Industry

Custom Pricing

Evidence literacy for organizations

  • Scalable licensing (15+ seats)
  • Organization-wide alignment
  • Independent progress tracking
  • Streamlined vendor onboarding
  • Priority administrative support
Contact Enterprise Team

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions we hear most about Course 1, answered clearly and without marketing
language.

After payment, you’ll receive instant access to the Course 1 dashboard inside MetaSyn Academy. All 68 video lessons, 5 Smart HTML interactive modules, 5 audio recaps, all working templates, and the final examination unlock immediately.

Approximately 5–6 hours of video plus 8–15 hours of guided protocol work on your own research project, depending on your topic complexity. Most learners complete Course 1 in 3–4 weeks alongside other commitments. Self-paced, no calendar deadlines.

No. Course 1 is built on MetaSyn’s No-Code, No-Fear philosophy. You’ll learn the logic and judgment of protocol design, not statistical programming. Stations 4 and 5 walk you through software (PROSPERO, OSF, reference management) with screen-by-screen demonstrations.

Yes. On successful completion of the final examination and protocol submission, you receive the SynClarity Seal of Methodological Rigor, a digital credential you can display on your CV, LinkedIn, ORCID, and publications. Includes verification link for institutional review.

30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with Course 1 for any reason within 30 days of enrollment, we’ll refund 100% of your tuition, no questions asked. See full terms at Metasyn.academy / The SynClarity Seal

Yes – lifetime access. All videos, templates, audio recaps, Smart HTML modules, and updates remain available to you indefinitely after enrollment.

Course 1 is designed around your own real project. The MetaSyn templates are working workbooks, you fill them in section-by-section as the lessons progress, with your real research question, your real eligibility criteria, your real search strategy. By the end of Course 1 you have a registered protocol on PROSPERO or OSF for your actual research, not a hypothetical case.

Course 1 is structured around PRISMA-P protocol-reporting requirements and draws on current Cochrane methods guidance for protocol planning and review conduct. Where certainty-of-evidence assessment is relevant to the review question, the course introduces planning consistent with GRADE principles. Learners should still check the current requirements of their review type, registry and target journal.

Cochrane Interactive Learning is closely tied to Cochrane methods and is especially strong in health evidence synthesis. MetaSyn is designed as a multidisciplinary, project-based pathway: it teaches question frameworks and review designs used across health, social science, education and policy, and learners build their own protocol while studying. MetaSyn also introduces AI-assisted workflows through the Generate–Verify–Document (GVD) approach, with explicit human verification and documentation rather than treating AI output as self-validating.

Many online courses emphasize lectures, worked examples and quizzes. MetaSyn is deliberately project-based: the lessons and working templates are organized around the learner’s own review question, so the course output is a completed protocol and an appropriate registration record rather than a hypothetical exercise. The protocol still remains subject to external peer review, registry requirements and journal-specific standards.

Email [email protected] within 30 days of your enrollment, no conditions, no questions. Refunds are processed within 7 business days to your original payment method.

Ready to Build Your Protocol?

Join the founding cohort of Course 1 – the first English-speaking edition of training previously delivered to 8,000+ researchers worldwide. Enroll today and earn your SynClarity Seal within weeks

Enroll in Course 1 Now
View Full 13-Course Roadmap

Questions? Email [email protected]