Abstrackr
abstrackr.com
What it is
Abstrackr is a free web tool for screening citations in systematic reviews. It supports solo work, blinded team screening, pilot rounds, and conflict resolution. After about 100 labels, machine learning ranks remaining citations by predicted relevance. A live PRISMA flow table records screening thresholds, resolved conflicts, exclusion reasons by tag, and analysis of the model’s stop point. Citations can be imported from PubMed, Scopus, or Embase, or uploaded as RIS and CSV files. The service deduplicates records by DOI and PMID and can merge remaining near-duplicates. Results export as CSV or RIS, with a full JSONL download for DuckDB queries. Blinding starts enabled, and changes are logged with user, reason, timestamp, and project snapshots. Member and Leader roles have no stated team-size limit, while reminders arrive 7, 4, and 1 day before deadlines. No installation is needed, and the site directs methodology questions to its community forum.
Spec sheet
- Purpose
- Abstrackr is a citation-screening tool for systematic reviews.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- Intended users
- The site describes Abstrackr as serving researchers, librarians, and review teams conducting systematic reviews.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- Support
- The site directs users to its community forum for methodology questions and workflow discussions.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- Assignment reminders
- Automated reminders are sent 7, 4, and 1 day before an assignment deadline.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- Blinding and audit log
- Blinding is on by default, and changes to blinding are recorded in an audit log with the acting user, reason, timestamp, and project snapshots.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.abstrackr.com
- Deduplication
- Abstrackr automatically deduplicates citations by DOI and PMID and supports merging remaining near-duplicates.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- Exports
- Users can export CSV or RIS files and download a full JSONL export for querying with DuckDB.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- History
- The site says Abstrackr was originally developed and hosted at Brown University and was later relaunched at abstrackr.com by the same team.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- Import formats
- The site says citations can be uploaded from PubMed, Scopus, and Embase, or as RIS or CSV files.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- Installation
- The site says no installation is needed.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- Machine learning
- After about 100 labels, its model ranks remaining citations by predicted relevance.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- PRISMA reporting
- A live PRISMA flow table includes screening thresholds, conflict-resolved counts, exclusion reasons by tag, and ML stop-point analysis.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- Screening workflow
- It supports solo screening, blinded team screening, pilot rounds, and conflict resolution.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
- Team roles
- Projects have Member and Leader roles, and the site says there is no limit on team size.Read 4 Oct 2026 · abstrackr.com
Plans and prices
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Free with no seat limits or usage caps
- Supports solo and blinded team screening
- Imports PubMed, Scopus, Embase, RIS, and CSV
- Machine learning ranks citations after labeling
- Exports CSV, RIS, and JSONL
Limits
- No AI paper summaries
- No full-text analysis
- Requires about 100 labels before ranking
Who it suits
It suits researchers, librarians, and review teams conducting systematic reviews. Teams needing blinded screening, conflict workflows, PRISMA tracking, and citation exports can use it in a browser.
Verdict
Abstrackr covers citation screening, collaboration, deduplication, auditability, and systematic-review reporting in one web workspace. Its stated scope stops short of paper summaries and full-text analysis.
Where Specifiction places it
- Literature Review Software#7 of 288.0
- Systematic Review Software#9 of 308.0
- AI Literature Review Software#12 of 388.0