How is PICO Portal Individual different from Consensus?
ComparisonA meter is not an include or exclude. PICO Portal Individual ties each claim to a paper you can open, and keeps the screening decision.
What does Consensus do that PICO Portal Individual does not?
Consensus is the faster read when the question is yes or no and you want a meter of agreement.
Consensus searches papers and shows how many support or oppose a claim. Open Consensus.
How do they compare on search, answer, and screen?
| PICO Portal Individual | Consensus | |
|---|---|---|
| Access | 14-day free trial. No department contract. | Free tier, plus a paid plan. |
| Search | 470 million articles from OpenAlex, ORCID and PubMed. | Claim search across papers. |
| Answer | Plain language. Each claim links to a source you can open. | A consensus meter and citations. |
| Screen | Named reviewer, time, rationale, and the source passage. | Not a screening queue. |
Who should use which?
PICO Portal Individual — Someone who has to show which studies they kept, and why.
Consensus — Someone who wants a quick sense of agreement before they open papers.
Can I use PICO Portal Individual and Consensus in the same review?
Yes. Keep Consensus for Claim search across papers. 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 Consensus 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. Consensus: Free tier, plus a paid plan.
What do I lose if I leave Consensus?
Consensus is the faster read when the question is yes or no and you want a meter of agreement.
Does either tool write the review?
No. Consensus returns A consensus meter and citations. 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. Consensus: Not a screening queue.
Can I upload a file from Consensus?
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 Consensus 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.