Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39975502›Full record

ArticleJournal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA2025

Automated tools for systematic review screening methods: an application of machine learning for sexual orientation and gender identity measurement in health research.

Ashleigh J Rich, Emma L McGorray, Carrie Baldwin-SoRelle, Michelle Cawley, Karen Grigg, Lauren B Beach, Gregory Phillips, Tonia Poteat

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Ashleigh J RichAshleigh.rich@duke.edu, School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC.
Emma L McGorrayEmmaMcgorray2023@u.northwestern.edu, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
Carrie Baldwin-SoRellechbs@email.unc.edu, Health Sciences Library, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
Michelle Cawleymcawley@email.unc.edu, Health Sciences Library, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
Karen Griggkgrigg@email.unc.edu, Health Sciences Library, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
Lauren B Beachlauren.beach@northwestern.edu, Department of Medical Social Sciences, Department of Preventative Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
Gregory PhillipsGlp2@northwestern.edu, Department of Medical Social Sciences, Department of Preventative Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
Tonia Poteattonia.poteat@duke.edu, School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC.

Funding

Project Recognize: Improving Measurement of Alcohol Use and Other Disparities by Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity through Community EngagementR01AA029076 · NIAAA · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO · PI BEACH, LAUREN BRITTANY, PHILLIPS, GREGORY L. · 2021 to 2025
$3.5M
NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA029076
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations experience health disparities compared to heterosexual and cisgender populations. The development of accurate, comprehensive sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) measures is fundamental to quantify and address SGM disparities, which first requires identifying SOGI-related research. As part of a larger project reviewing and synthesizing how SOGI has been assessed within the health literature, we provide an example of the application of automated tools for systematic reviews to the area of SOGI measurement. Methods: In collaboration with research librarians, a three-phase approach was used to prioritize screening for a set of 11,441 SOGI measurement studies published since 2012. In Phase 1, search results were stratified into two groups (title with vs. without measurement-related terms); titles with measurement-related terms were manually screened. In Phase 2, supervised clustering using DoCTER software was used to sort the remaining studies based on relevance. In Phase 3, supervised machine learning using DoCTER was used to further identify which studies deemed low relevance in Phase 2 should be prioritized for manual screening. Results: 1,607 studies were identified in Phase 1. Across Phases 2 and 3, the research team excluded 5,056 of the remaining 9,834 studies using DoCTER. In manual review, the percentage of relevant studies in results screened manually was low, ranging from 0.1 to 7.8 percent. Conclusions: Automated tools used in collaboration with research librarians have the potential to save hundreds of hours of human labor in large-scale systematic reviews of SGM health research.

Indexed as

Gender IdentityMachine LearningSexual and Gender MinoritiesSexual BehaviorSystematic Reviews as TopicFemaleHumansMaleAutomationHealthMethodsSexual and Gender MinoritiesSystematic Review

Identifiers

PMID39975502
PMCPMC11835039

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.