Background/Objective:
A multi-year, open, global consensus development process is underway to create the Scientific Evidence Code System (SEVCO) as a structured vocabulary. Currently there is no standard terminology for the communication of scientific evidence concepts such as study design, statistical models, statistical results, and risk of bias judgments.
Agreeing to such a standard is important to the public as it will increase the accuracy of communicating scientific evidence (the variables, the statistics, the risk of bias assessments, the certainty of evidence, etc.) through all stages of the knowledge ecosystem. When completed, the code system will facilitate identifying, processing, and reporting research results and the reliability of those results.
B Alper 1,2 , J Dehnbostel 1,2 , M Afzal 3, H Lehmann 1,4, K Wilkins 5
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Scientific Evidence Code System (SEVCO):
a common language for communicating evidence
Results/Conclusions:
As of September 4, 2024, SEVCO contains 613 terms of which 455 (74%) have reached agreement with more than 50 contributors from more than 18 countries.
Methods: We created a 13 step SEVCO term definition protocol (Alper et al). An international group of experts meet virtually twice each week in open meetings to identify terms, establish preferred and alternative terms for included concepts, define the concepts, and write guidance for application. Software was created and is supported on the FEvIR Platform at https://fevir.net
Any dissenting comments or votes are discussed until agreement is reached.
Author Affiliations:
1 Scientific Knowledge Accelerator Foundation, United States
2 Computable Publishing LLC, United States
3 Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
4 Johns Hopkins University, USA
5 NIH/NIDDK, USA
Reference: Alper BS et al, COVID-19 Knowledge Accelerator (COKA) Initiative. Making science computable: Developing code systems for statistics, study design, and risk of bias. J Biomed Inform. 2021 Mar;115:103685.