How is PICO Portal Individual different from Semantic Scholar?
ComparisonThe index does not answer the question or store your include or exclude. PICO Portal Individual searches a corpus and keeps the decision.
What does Semantic Scholar do that PICO Portal Individual does not?
It is a strong free index, with an API, when you want to search and follow citations yourself.
Semantic Scholar is a free academic search engine from the Allen Institute, with TLDRs and a citation graph. Open Semantic Scholar.
How do they compare on search, answer, and screen?
| PICO Portal Individual | Semantic Scholar | |
|---|---|---|
| Access | 14-day free trial. No department contract. | Free. |
| Search | 470 million articles from OpenAlex, ORCID and PubMed. | Academic search and citation graph. |
| Answer | Plain language. Each claim links to a source you can open. | Paper TLDRs, not an answer to your question. |
| Screen | Named reviewer, time, rationale, and the source passage. | None. |
Who should use which?
PICO Portal Individual — A researcher who wants the answer and the screening record in the same place.
Semantic Scholar — A researcher who wants a free search box and a citation graph.
Can I use PICO Portal Individual and Semantic Scholar in the same review?
Yes. Keep Semantic Scholar for Academic search and citation graph. 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 Semantic Scholar 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. Semantic Scholar: Free.
What do I lose if I leave Semantic Scholar?
It is a strong free index, with an API, when you want to search and follow citations yourself.
Does either tool write the review?
No. Semantic Scholar returns Paper TLDRs, not an answer to your question. 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. Semantic Scholar: None.
Can I upload a file from Semantic Scholar?
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 Semantic Scholar 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.