NOS-TLPlot: A Specialized Python Tool for Visualizing Newcastle–Ottawa Scale Risk-of-Bias Assessments

Vihaan Sahu

doi:10.5334/jors.635

NOS-TLPlot: A Specialized Python Tool for Visualizing Newcastle–Ottawa Scale Risk-of-Bias Assessments

Journal of Open Research Software

Volume 14 (2026): Issue 1

By: Vihaan Sahu

Open Access

|Feb 2026

Abstract

NOS-TLPlot is a specialized Python tool for visualizing Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) risk-of-bias assessments. It converts raw NOS star ratings into standardized risk categories and generates twelve distinct visualization types, including star distribution plots, traffic-light plots, radar charts, heatmaps, dot profiles, donut charts, and lollipop charts. The tool offers both an interactive web application and a command-line interface for batch processing and integration into reproducible analytical pipelines. Users can customize output themes, figure sizes, and export formats. NOS-TLPlot enhances the transparency, consistency, and efficiency of reporting study quality in systematic reviews and meta-analyses involving non-randomized studies.

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