# How is PICO Portal Individual different from ASReview?

ASReview is open-source screening software. Active learning ranks the records you upload.

Site: https://asreview.nl

## Where they differ

It is free, local, and built for a lab that wants to own the screening model.

You still bring the records, and you still write the answer elsewhere. PICO Portal Individual searches the catalog and keeps the decision next to the answer.

| | PICO Portal Individual | ASReview |
|---|---|---|
| Access | 14-day free trial. No department contract. | Open source. Free. |
| Search | 470 million articles from OpenAlex, ORCID and PubMed. | You upload the file. |
| Answer | Plain language, each claim linked to a source. | None. |
| Screen | Named reviewer, time, rationale, source passage. | Active-learning rank. You decide. |

PICO Portal Individual is the better fit for A student who does not want to install a screening stack before the first question.

ASReview is the better fit for A methods lab that wants open-source screening on its own machine.

## How is PICO Portal Individual different from ASReview?

You still bring the records, and you still write the answer elsewhere. PICO Portal Individual searches the catalog and keeps the decision next to the answer.

## What does ASReview do that PICO Portal Individual does not?

It is free, local, and built for a lab that wants to own the screening model.

## Who should use which?

PICO Portal Individual is the better fit for A student who does not want to install a screening stack before the first question. ASReview is the better fit for A methods lab that wants open-source screening on its own machine.

## Can I use PICO Portal Individual and ASReview in the same review?

Yes. Keep ASReview for You upload the file. Put the include or exclude in PICO Portal Individual. The record shows the named reviewer, the time, the rationale, and the source passage.

## Do I name ASReview in the methods?

Yes, if you searched there. Also name PICO Portal Individual if the decision sits there. A reader must be able to open the same record.

## Can a student start without a university license?

Yes. PICO Portal Individual starts with a 14-day free trial and does not need a department contract. ASReview: Open source. Free.

## What do I lose if I leave ASReview?

It is free, local, and built for a lab that wants to own the screening model.

## Does either tool write the review?

No. ASReview returns None. PICO Portal Individual returns a cited answer. You write the sentence.

## Where is the decision record?

On the PICO Portal Individual record: named reviewer, timestamp, rationale, source passage. ASReview: Active-learning rank. You decide.

## Can I upload a file from ASReview?

Yes, if it is a citation file. You then see that file in the same queue as the OpenAlex results.

## Which tool do I open first?

Open ASReview if you already have a list. Open PICO Portal Individual if you have a question and no file.

## Is the answer a substitute for the paper?

No. Open the citation. The passage is on the record so a second person can check the claim.

## What can a supervisor check?

The question, the search, each include or exclude, and the passage. You see the queue, the conflicts, and the agreement while the stage is still open.