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Getting Started with PICO Portal Individual

PICO Portal Individual is an AI-powered literature review and evidence synthesis platform designed to help researchers search, screen, organize, and extract evidence faster while maintaining transparency and control. It supports both exploratory reviews and structured evidence workflows.

This guide walks you through how to create your first project.

Step 1: Log In to PICO Portal Individual

PICO Portal Individual supports two login methods:

  • Gmail Single Sign-On (SSO)
  • Email and password login

After signing in, you will land on the main Search interface. The left-side navigation menu includes:

  • New Search
  • New Upload
  • Projects
  • Billing
  • Logout

Step 2: Create a New Project

In PICO Portal Individual, projects are automatically created whenever you start a new literature search or upload records/files.

You can create a project in two ways:

Option A — Create a Project from a Literature Search

1. Select “New Search”

From the left navigation panel, click New Search.

2. Enter Your Research Question

Type a natural-language research question into the search box.

Example:

“What is the effect of dark chocolate on type 2 diabetes?”

3. Configure Search Filters (Optional)

You can refine your search using filters such as:

  • Title only or Title + Abstract
  • Publication date range
  • Open-access articles
  • Citation count thresholds
  • Sort by relevance, recency, or citation frequency

4. Run the Search

PICO Portal Individual automatically generates Boolean logic using AND, OR, and NOT operators behind the scenes.

You can click on Refine Query to view the generated Boolean logic and edit it if desired.

After the search completes, PICO Portal Individual automatically creates a new project and imports the retrieved records into it.

Option B — Create a Project by Uploading Records or PDFs

1. Select “New Upload”

From the left navigation panel, click New Upload.

2. Upload Your Files

PICO Portal Individual supports uploads from more than 15 databases and reference systems, including:

  • PubMed
  • Embase
  • Cochrane
  • Scopus

Supported formats include:

  • RIS
  • BibTeX
  • XML
  • CSV
  • PDF

Click on Supported Formats to view all supported databases and file formats.

You can also:

  • Paste DOIs
  • Paste PubMed IDs
  • Upload full-text PDFs directly

PICO Portal Individual automatically extracts metadata from uploaded PDFs whenever possible.

3. Complete the Upload

Once the upload finishes, PICO Portal Individual automatically creates a new project containing your imported records.

Step 3: Access Your Project

To view all projects:

  1. Click Projects in the left navigation menu.
  2. The Projects page will display all active and archived projects.

By default, the project table includes:

  • Project Name
  • Number of Imported Records
  • Client Name
  • Created On Date
  • Project Lead Name
  • Team Size
  • Action

To see additional information, click the Select Columns icon in the top-right corner and select:

  • Project ID
  • Status
  • Due Date

You can also:

  • Sort projects
  • Search for projects
  • Filter projects
  • Export project lists to Excel

Clicking the ellipses under Action allows you to:

  • View project properties (e.g., Project No., Project Name, etc.)
  • Delete a project
  • Archive a project (removing it from your active dashboard without deleting it)

Step 4: Rename Your Project

After creating a project, you can rename it to better reflect your review topic or workflow.

How to Rename a Project

1. Open the Projects Dashboard

Click Projects from the left navigation menu. This will display all active projects.

2. Locate Your Project

Find the project you want to rename in the project list.

3. Open Project Settings

  1. Select the Project Settings menu.
  2. Select Rename & Setup.
  3. Enter the new project name in the Project Name field.
  4. Optionally, enter or update the:
    • Project Description
    • Search Criteria
  5. Once all changes are complete, click Save.

Your updated project name will immediately appear in the Projects Dashboard.

Recommended Naming Best Practices

To keep projects organized, consider including:

  • Research topic
  • Review type
  • Client or sponsor
  • Date or version

Example project names:

  • Type 2 Diabetes – Nutritional Interventions
  • Dark Chocolate and Hypertension SR/MA
  • HEOR Oncology Review – Q1 2026
  • AI Screening Validation Study

Next Steps After Creating Your Project

Once your project is created, you can continue with the review workflow:

  1. Configure Keywords
  2. Invite Collaborators
  3. Screen Articles
  4. Upload PDFs
  5. Use AskAI for Extraction
  6. Create Data Extraction Forms
  7. Export Reports and PRISMA Outputs

PICO Portal Individual supports AI-assisted workflows while maintaining full traceability and researcher oversight throughout the review process.