Objective To develop ROBIS, a new tool for assessing the risk of bias in systematic reviews
(rather than in primary studies). Study Design and Setting We used four-stage approach to
develop ROBIS: define the scope, review the evidence base, hold a face-to-face meeting,
and refine the tool through piloting. Results ROBIS is currently aimed at four broad
categories of reviews mainly within health care settings: interventions, diagnosis, prognosis,
and etiology. The target audience of ROBIS is primarily guideline developers, authors of …

… To develop ROBIS, a new tool for assessing the risk of bias in systematic reviews (rather
than in primary studies). … The target audience of ROBIS is primarily guideline developers,
authors of overviews of systematic reviews ("reviews of reviews"), and review authors who
might want to assess or avoid risk of bias in their reviews. The tool is completed in three
phases: 1) assess relevance (optional), 2) identify concerns with the review process, and 3)
judge risk of bias. Phase 2 covers four domains through which …