# How is PICO Portal Individual different from SciSpace?

SciSpace lets you chat with a PDF and run a literature review from a question.

Site: https://scispace.com

## Where they differ

SciSpace is useful when you already have the PDF and want a chat over that file.

A chat over one PDF does not record who excluded the other 400 records, or on what passage.

| | PICO Portal Individual | SciSpace |
|---|---|---|
| Access | 14-day free trial. No department contract. | Free tier, plus a paid plan. |
| Search | 470 million articles from OpenAlex, ORCID and PubMed. | Literature review search and PDF chat. |
| Answer | Plain language, each claim linked to a source. | Chat answers over uploaded papers. |
| Screen | Named reviewer, time, rationale, source passage. | Not a dual-review record. |

PICO Portal Individual is the better fit for A review that has to show the search, the screen, and the sources.

SciSpace is the better fit for Reading one paper in depth.

## How is PICO Portal Individual different from SciSpace?

A chat over one PDF does not record who excluded the other 400 records, or on what passage.

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

SciSpace is useful when you already have the PDF and want a chat over that file.

## Who should use which?

PICO Portal Individual is the better fit for A review that has to show the search, the screen, and the sources. SciSpace is the better fit for Reading one paper in depth.

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

Yes. Keep SciSpace for Literature review search and PDF chat. 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 SciSpace 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. SciSpace: Free tier, plus a paid plan.

## What do I lose if I leave SciSpace?

SciSpace is useful when you already have the PDF and want a chat over that file.

## Does either tool write the review?

No. SciSpace returns Chat answers over uploaded papers. 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. SciSpace: Not a dual-review record.

## Can I upload a file from SciSpace?

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 SciSpace 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.