Tools: Use Zotero for references, Rayyan or Covidence for literature screening, Excel or Google Sheets for data extraction, JASP, R or Python for statistics, and REDCap, Qualtrics or Google Forms for surveys. Canva or PowerPoint can help with figures.
File Organization: Create a folder for your project with subfolders such as /Protocol, /Data/Raw, /Data/Clean, /Analysis, /Manuscript, /Figures, /IRB.
One-page Protocol Template: Summarize your question and rationale; design & data source; inclusion/exclusion criteria; variables and outcomes (with definitions); analysis plan; ethics/IRB status; timeline & roles (including authorship plan).
You’ll use this foundation across all project types. Once you’ve prepared your protocol and tools, proceed to choose your project type in the next module.