How to Use Rayyan

Getting started with Rayyan

In this guide, you'll learn how to set up your Rayyan account and conduct your first systematic literature review screening. By the end, you'll be able to efficiently identify relevant studies from a large pool of academic papers.

Step 1: Sign up and set up

1. Go to Rayyan's website.
2. Click on the Sign up button in the top right corner.
3. Enter your email address and create a password, or sign up using your Google account by clicking the Sign in with Google button.
4. Confirm your email address through the link sent to your inbox.
5. Once logged in, you’ll be taken to your dashboard, where you can create your first project.

Step 2: Your first literature review screening

1. On your dashboard, click the Create a new review button.
2. Name your review and add a description if desired, then click Create.
3. In the new review screen, click Add references.
4. Upload a file containing your references (e.g., a CSV or RIS file) or use the Import from PubMed option to pull in studies directly.
5. Once your references are loaded, click on Screen next to each article to start reviewing.
6. Use the Include and Exclude buttons to sort through the papers. Rayyan will highlight articles that match your criteria based on your previous decisions.

Step 3: Get better results

• Use the Filters on the left to narrow down your articles by inclusion/exclusion criteria, such as keywords or year of publication.
• Take advantage of the Tags feature to label articles for easy retrieval later. Click on Tags to create and apply them as you screen.
• Regularly check the Recommendations feature for suggestions based on your screening patterns.

Pro tip

Use the Collaborate feature to invite team members to your review. Click on the Invite button in your review dashboard to add collaborators. This can speed up the screening process significantly.

Common mistake to avoid

Avoid uploading references in unsupported formats. Ensure that your reference list is in a compatible format like CSV or RIS before uploading, as unsupported formats may cause errors and slow down your progress.