# New Upload & Search Enhancements Now Available in PICO Portal

We are introducing a major enhancement to the PICO Portal platform with a new unified Search and Upload experience. This update is designed to remove barriers in evidence collection and provide more flexible ways to build and expand your research projects. A More Flexible Way to Build Your Evidence Base The new workflow brings search

Source: https://picoportal.org/blog/upload-and-search/

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<p style="margin: 0 0 24px 0; text-align: center;"><img decoding="async" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;" src="/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Upload-take-2-2026-04-02.gif" alt="Search and Upload animation" /></p>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 24px 0; font-weight: 400;">We are introducing a major enhancement to the PICO Portal platform with a new unified Search and Upload experience. This update is designed to remove barriers in evidence collection and provide more flexible ways to build and expand your research projects.</p>
<h3 style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; margin: 32px 0 12px 0;">A More Flexible Way to Build Your Evidence Base</h3>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-weight: 400;">The new workflow brings search and upload into a single connected experience. In addition to traditional file uploads, you can now add studies, expand datasets, and discover new evidence without leaving the platform.</p>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-weight: 400;">This creates a more iterative and efficient approach to evidence gathering, allowing research teams to move seamlessly from discovery to structured review.</p>
<h3 style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; margin: 32px 0 12px 0;">Core Upload Capabilities</h3>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-weight: 400;">You can continue to use familiar upload methods with improved flexibility:</p>
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<li>Upload search results from PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and more</li>
<li>Supported formats include RIS, BibTeX, XML, and CSV</li>
<li>Maintain continuity with existing workflows</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; margin: 32px 0 12px 0;">New Capabilities</h3>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 12px 0; font-weight: 400;"><strong>Direct PDF Upload with AI Processing</strong></p>
<ul style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 28px; padding: 0;">
<li>Drag and drop PDF files directly into your project</li>
<li>Automatic full text reading using built in AI</li>
<li>Extraction of title, abstract, and key metadata</li>
<li>Creation of structured records when available</li>
</ul>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 12px 0; font-weight: 400;"><strong>DOI and PubMed ID Entry</strong></p>
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<li>Enter one or multiple DOIs or PubMed IDs</li>
<li>Automatic retrieval and structuring of study records</li>
<li>Reduces manual upload steps</li>
</ul>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 12px 0; font-weight: 400;"><strong>Snowball Search</strong></p>
<ul style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 28px; padding: 0;">
<li>Start with one or more relevant articles</li>
<li>Backward tracing to identify referenced studies</li>
<li>Forward tracing to identify newer citing studies</li>
<li>Expand your dataset with additional relevant evidence</li>
</ul>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 12px 0; font-weight: 400;"><strong>OpenAlex Integration</strong></p>
<ul style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 28px; padding: 0;">
<li>Access a large scale open scholarly database</li>
<li>Run natural language queries</li>
<li>Filter and refine results</li>
<li>Import selected studies directly into your project</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; margin: 32px 0 12px 0;">Flexible Workflow Options</h3>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-weight: 400;">To support a smooth transition, PICO Portal includes a toggle that allows you to switch between Classic Upload and the new Search and Upload experience.</p>
<ul style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 28px; padding: 0;">
<li>Classic Upload for existing workflows</li>
<li>New Search and Upload for expanded capabilities</li>
</ul>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-weight: 400;">Both options will remain available for a limited time to allow teams to adopt the new experience at their own pace.</p>
<h3 style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; margin: 32px 0 12px 0;">Why This Matters</h3>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-weight: 400;">This update reflects a shift toward more continuous and adaptive evidence workflows. Instead of separating search and upload, PICO Portal now supports a unified process where discovery, ingestion, and expansion happen in one environment.</p>
<ul style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 28px; padding: 0;">
<li>Reduce friction in evidence collection</li>
<li>Expand discovery beyond traditional search strategies</li>
<li>Leverage AI while maintaining transparency and control</li>
</ul>
<p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.65; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-weight: 400;">These enhancements are part of our ongoing commitment to improving research workflows while maintaining the rigor and transparency required for high quality evidence synthesis.</p>
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