Protocol Builder and Search Strategies

Why start with the protocol

A systematic review is only as defensible as the protocol it was run against, and PROSPERO registration expects that protocol before screening starts. The tool builds the protocol next to your records: click the Protocol button in the sidebar (free on every plan) and work through the tabs. Everything is saved with the project.

Frameworks for your review question

Five question frameworks are built in. PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome) fits intervention reviews. PECO swaps Intervention for Exposure, for observational and environmental questions. SPIDER (Sample, Phenomenon of interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type) fits qualitative and mixed-methods reviews. PCC (Population, Concept, Context) is the scoping review standard. SPICE (Setting, Perspective, Intervention, Comparison, Evaluation) suits service evaluation questions. Pick one and fill the fields; the framework structures both your eligibility criteria and your search concepts.

A dedicated field records your PROSPERO registration number once you have it, so it flows into the exports.

Build the search strategy

The search tab turns your question into concept blocks: one block per concept, terms within a block combined with OR, and the blocks combined with AND. Seed the blocks from your framework fields with one click, then add synonyms, spelling variants, and controlled vocabulary per block.

Choose PubMed syntax or Ovid syntax and the generator writes the numbered search lines in that interface's format; Copy lines puts them on your clipboard ready to paste into the database. Document each executed search (database, date, result count) in the per-database search log so your reporting is complete.

Exports: PROSPERO, markdown, PRISMA-S

1. Open the Export tab of the protocol panel.
2. Click Copy PROSPERO-ready text for your protocol mapped to PROSPERO's registration sections, in PROSPERO's order, ready to paste section by section into the registration form.
3. Click Copy full protocol (markdown) for a complete protocol document for supervisors, supplements, or a repository.
4. Click Copy PRISMA-S search report for the search reporting checklist item: every database, interface, search string, date, and result count in one structured report.

Use the protocol as screening criteria

The protocol and the screening list stay connected. Click Use as screening criteria to push the protocol's eligibility text straight into the include and exclude criteria boxes that drive highlighting, ranking, and AI screening. Screeners then work against the registered criteria verbatim, not a paraphrase from memory.