Synthesis

Synthesis is a desktop environment for scoping, systematic and conventional literature reviews. It is aimed at research groups that need discovery, screening, full-text handling and evidence analysis in one controlled workflow. Its integrated review process is compelling, but suspended orders and downloads make it unsuitable for anyone who needs to deploy software immediately.

Overview

Synthesis brings references, PDFs, reviewer decisions and analysis into a single project. It searches abstracts and full-text documents, imports records from established bibliographic services and exports data for downstream citation work. That makes it more purposeful than a general reference manager when a review has a defined screening process and a large evidence set.

The main operational limitation is availability: the maker has temporarily suspended both orders and downloads while developing a new release. A licence is also tied to one computer through computer-specific Installation and Registration IDs, so teams that routinely change machines will find the arrangement restrictive.

Key features

Discovery and reference management

Embedded searches cover PubMed, PubMed Central, IEEE, arXiv.org and US Patents. Imports include Ovid, Web of Knowledge, ProQuest and ACM, giving teams a practical route for combining records from multiple databases. Keyword and phrase searching works across abstracts and full-text PDFs, while automatic de-duplication is reported with externally validated sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 99%. That reduces manual cleanup, although no deduplication system removes the need to resolve edge cases.

PDFs and screening

Synthesis can automatically download many full-text PDFs when open-access or institutional access exists. It cannot overcome access restrictions, so teams should not assume that every imported citation will become a readable document. Primary and secondary reviewers can screen abstracts and full text, with kappa scores calculated automatically for both stages. This is a strong fit for studies requiring documented inter-reviewer agreement rather than a single researcher's triage.

Analysis and exports

AI-assisted topic clustering, word clouds, metadata extraction and charts support early exploration and synthesis. These tools are useful for finding structure in a substantial corpus, but they complement rather than replace a review protocol and human interpretation. RIS and CSV exports, including workflows for EndNote and RefWorks, make it easier to move references and data into established citation-management processes.

Pricing

Synthesis uses paid, custom pricing, with a free trial. The trial permits unlimited projects, but each project can import only 50 references and uses a slower, non-professional PDF viewer. Those limits make it suitable for evaluating workflow and interface, not for running a full evidence review.

A licence is assigned to an individual computer. After expiry, existing projects remain usable, while new projects can import only 50 references in trial mode. Organisations should therefore settle machine ownership and renewal responsibility before committing. Since orders and downloads are currently suspended, neither a paid deployment nor a fresh download can be started at present.

Platforms

Synthesis runs on Linux, macOS and Windows. Its desktop orientation and computer-bound licence favour a fixed workstation or managed research computer over a highly mobile setup.

Who it's for

The maker positions Synthesis for academic research universities, hospitals, government agencies, private corporations and nongovernmental organisations. It is particularly well suited to teams conducting scoping or systematic reviews that need two-person screening, agreement statistics, broad database intake and structured exports. A lone researcher doing lightweight reading may find the review-specific workflow and licensing arrangement unnecessary, while a team needing immediate procurement should look elsewhere until orders resume.

Pros and cons

Pros

End-to-end review workflow: reference control, PDF organisation, screening and analysis stay in one project.

Dual-reviewer controls: primary and secondary screening with automatic kappa scores supports auditable team decisions.

Broad intake and exit paths: embedded searches, bibliographic imports and RIS/CSV exports reduce manual transfers.

Validated duplicate handling: reported 98% sensitivity and 99% specificity can substantially reduce record-cleaning effort.

Cons

Unavailable for new deployment: orders and downloads are suspended during development of a new release.

Computer-bound licence: installation and registration IDs limit convenient movement between machines.

Trial is tightly capped: 50 imported references per project and a slower PDF viewer prevent a realistic large-review pilot.

PDF access depends on entitlement: automatic downloading works when open or institutional access is available, not for every citation.

Alternatives

Literature Review Software is the broader shortlist for comparing review platforms.

RevMan is the better starting point for a freemium workflow available on Linux, macOS, Windows and the web.

VOSviewer suits readers who want a free tool for any purpose across desktop and web platforms.

ASReview is preferable when free, open-source software without licensing fees or subscriptions is the priority.

Bibliometrix is the free open-source choice built around an R package and Biblioshiny web interface.

Rayyan fits teams wanting a freemium, web-first service with a free tier for three active reviews and two reviewers.

Buhos is another free option for teams seeking a cross-platform or self-hosted tool.

Elicit is better for AI-assisted paper search, summaries and chat than for Synthesis's full screening workflow.

EviSynth is the free, open-source academic option with unlimited collaborators and no subscription.

Verdict

Choose Synthesis when a research team needs a structured literature-review workspace with dual screening, agreement statistics, strong database intake and integrated analysis. Its chief reason to choose it is the concentration of review-specific controls in one desktop application. Look elsewhere if you need software now, switch computers frequently, or want a free or openly licensed service: suspended orders and downloads, custom pricing and the computer-bound licence make those priorities decisive.