How is PICO Portal Individual different from ChatGPT?
ComparisonA chat transcript does not show which records you excluded, or the passage you used. PICO Portal Individual does.
What does ChatGPT do that PICO Portal Individual does not?
It drafts prose quickly. Use it to outline a section after the studies are chosen.
ChatGPT drafts text from a prompt. Search modes change. The answer is not a screening record. Open ChatGPT.
How do they compare on search, answer, and screen?
| PICO Portal Individual | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Access | 14-day free trial. No department contract. | Free tier, plus a paid plan. |
| Search | 470 million articles from OpenAlex, ORCID and PubMed. | Depends on the mode. Not a protocol search. |
| Answer | Plain language. Each claim links to a source you can open. | A draft. Sources vary by mode. |
| Screen | Named reviewer, time, rationale, and the source passage. | None. |
Who should use which?
PICO Portal Individual — Choosing the evidence set, and citing it.
ChatGPT — Drafting, after the evidence set exists.
Can I use PICO Portal Individual and ChatGPT in the same review?
Yes. Keep ChatGPT for Depends on the mode. Not a protocol search. 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 ChatGPT 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. ChatGPT: Free tier, plus a paid plan.
What do I lose if I leave ChatGPT?
It drafts prose quickly. Use it to outline a section after the studies are chosen.
Does either tool write the review?
No. ChatGPT returns A draft. Sources vary by mode. 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. ChatGPT: None.
Can I upload a file from ChatGPT?
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 ChatGPT 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.