Disclose AI-assisted evidence synthesis with a step-by-step log that records each task, the tool and version used, the human verification performed, and the error rate from sampled checks, then summarize it in a short disclosure statement. The log lets a reader judge how much of the synthesis depended on the tool and how much was checked.
Build the oversight log
- List each AI-assisted step separately: screening, data extraction, and synthesis. For each step, record the tool name and version, the date, the input it received, and the output it produced. Expected result: a step-by-step record a reader can follow without asking you.
- Record the human verification performed at each step. State what a person checked against the source record, such as whether an included study met the eligibility criteria or whether an extracted value matched the original paper. Expected result: each AI output is tied to a named check.
- Sample the outputs and report the error rate. State the number of items sampled, the number of errors found, and the resulting rate for each step. Expected result: a reader can see how often the assisted step produced a wrong result in your sample.
- Finalize the disclosure statement. Summarize the steps, tools and versions, verification, and error rates in a short paragraph, and point readers to the full log. Expected result: the statement and log agree on every step.
What each entry should contain
For screening, note the records the tool processed and the criteria a person applied to confirm inclusion decisions. For extraction, note the fields extracted and which values a person compared against the original source. For synthesis, note the claims the tool helped draft and which of them a person traced back to cited studies.
Reference checking belongs in the same log. The ICMJE Recommendations advise authors to verify references against original sources, cite direct sources where possible, and identify retractions. Record which references a person checked and what the check found.
Fit the disclosure to the review's reporting standard
PRISMA 2020 provides a reporting checklist, expanded checklist, abstract checklist, and flow diagrams for original and updated systematic reviews. Use its checklist to place your disclosure where the review's reporting structure expects methods and process details. The Cochrane Handbook describes planning searches, selecting sources, developing search strategies, searching reference lists and other sources, documenting searches, and managing records for systematic reviews; its documentation guidance shows the level of process detail a reader expects for search and selection.
Keep the statement readable
Write the disclosure in plain sentences: which steps used AI, which tool and version, what a person verified, and the sampled error rate. Attach the full log as a table or appendix so the statement stays short while the detail remains available.