Living Reviews in EasySLR

Living Reviews in EasySLR

The Living Review functionality in EasySLR helps teams keep literature reviews current as new evidence becomes available. Watch the Video here.

Instead of repeatedly rerunning database searches, downloading results, and manually importing new citations, you can configure a recurring search within an existing project. EasySLR runs the search at the selected frequency, identifies newly published records, checks them against citations already in the project, and automatically uploads new records for screening.

Living Review currently supports only the PubMed database.

Key Capabilities
Living Search allows you to:
  • Create recurring PubMed searches within an existing project.
  • Select how frequently the search should run.
  • Automatically identify and upload new citations.
  • Check newly retrieved records against existing project citations for duplicates.
  • Receive an email notification after each scheduled search.
  • Apply the project’s existing protocol to newly added records.
  • Use the established screening and data-extraction workflows.
  • Apply AI-assisted screening and extraction when enabled.
  • Maintain new evidence within the same project and audit trail.
Before Creating a Living Search
Before setting up the search, ensure that:
  • The relevant EasySLR project has already been created.
  • Your PubMed search strategy has been finalised and validated.
  • The project protocol and inclusion and exclusion criteria are configured.
  • The title-abstract and full-text screening workflows are ready.
  • The appropriate AI settings are enabled if you plan to use AI assistance.
  • Data-extraction forms are configured if new included studies will proceed to extraction.
A clear and validated search query helps ensure that future searches retrieve relevant records consistently.

How to Create a Living Search

Step 1: Open the Project
Sign in to EasySLR and open the project you want to keep updated.
Living Review is created within an existing project so that newly retrieved records can use the same protocol, screening criteria, and extraction framework.

Step 2: Open Living Review
From the project menu:
  1. Go to Tools.
  2. Select Living Review.

This section contains the options for creating and managing recurring literature searches.

Step 3: Start a New Search
Click New Living Search to begin the configuration.

Step 4: Create the Search
Choose one of the available options:
  • Choose a file: Choose an existing file containing.
  • Enter manually: Add the PubMed search query directly within EasySLR.
Review the details carefully before proceeding to ensure the terminology, Boolean operators, field tags, and filters reflect your intended search strategy.

Step 5: Select the Frequency
Choose how frequently you want EasySLR to run the search.

The selected frequency determines how often the platform checks PubMed for newly published records matching the search query.

Select a schedule that reflects:
  • How quickly the evidence base changes
  • How often the review needs to be updated
  • The expected publication volume
  • Your team’s capacity to screen new records


Step 6: Review and Create
Review the search configuration, including:
  • Project
  • Database
  • Search query
  • Selected frequency
Once the details are correct, create the Living Search.

EasySLR will then run the search according to the selected schedule.

What Happens When the Search Runs?
Each time the scheduled search runs, EasySLR:
  1. Executes the configured query in PubMed.
  2. Identifies records matching the search strategy.
  3. Checks retrieved citations against records already available in the project.
  4. Removes or flags duplicate records through the project’s deduplication process.
  5. Uploads newly identified citations to the existing project.
  6. Send an email notification confirming that the search has run.
  7. Makes the new records available for review and screening.
This process allows teams to focus on evaluating new evidence rather than repeating search and import activities manually.

Reviewing Newly Added Records
Newly identified citations follow the project’s existing review workflow.

Title and Abstract Screening
Review the titles and abstracts of the newly uploaded records against the established eligibility criteria.
If AI is enabled at this stage, EasySLR can provide AI-assisted inclusion or exclusion recommendations based on the project protocol. Reviewers should validate AI-generated suggestions before finalising decisions.

Full-Text Screening
Records included at title-abstract screening can progress to full-text review.
Retrieve or upload the corresponding PDFs and assess the complete articles using the project’s full-text eligibility criteria. If full-text AI screening is enabled, the AI can assist with screening based on the available PDF and protocol.

Data Extraction
Studies included after full-text screening can proceed to data extraction using the forms already configured for the project.
If AI-assisted data extraction is enabled, EasySLR can populate the relevant information for reviewer validation.

Reporting
After new studies have been reviewed and extracted, the project findings and reports can be refreshed to reflect the updated evidence base.

Using AI with Living Search
Living Search identifies and adds new records to the project. AI assistance depends on the configuration of the relevant review stages.

Where enabled, AI can support:
  • Title-abstract screening
  • Full-text screening
  • Mini Data Extraction
  • Full data extraction
  • Report updates
The existing protocol, eligibility criteria, extraction fields, and AI settings are applied to the newly added records, helping maintain consistency across review updates.

AI-generated outputs should always be reviewed and validated according to the methodology and quality-control requirements of the project.

Email Notifications
After a scheduled search is completed, EasySLR sends an email notification to inform the relevant user or team.

The notification helps reviewers know when new citations have been added and are ready for screening.
After receiving the notification:
  1. Open the relevant EasySLR project.
  2. Review the newly uploaded records.
  3. Confirm the results of deduplication.
  4. Begin title-abstract screening.
  5. Continue eligible records through the remaining workflow stages.

Key Benefits

Continuous Evidence Monitoring
Living Search regularly checks PubMed for new research relevant to your review.

Reduced Manual Effort
Teams no longer need to rerun the same search, download the results, and import citations manually at every update.

Consistent Methodology
New records are assessed using the project’s existing protocol, screening criteria, and extraction forms.

Efficient Review Updates
New evidence can move directly through established manual or AI-assisted workflows.

Improved Traceability
Scheduled searches, imported citations, reviewer decisions, and extracted data remain connected within the same project.

Current Findings and Reports
Teams can incorporate emerging evidence and update review outputs without starting a new project.

Best Practices
  • Validate the PubMed query before creating the Living Search.
  • Avoid making changes to the search strategy between scheduled runs.
  • Document any material changes made to the query or protocol.
  • Select a frequency that your team can support operationally.
  • Review email notifications promptly and screen new records regularly.
  • Check the results of deduplication before beginning screening.
  • Keep full-text PDFs and extraction forms organized.
  • Validate AI-generated decisions and extracted values.
  • Record the search dates, platform configuration, and review updates for reporting and audit purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which databases are currently supported?
Living Review currently supports only the PubMed database.

Can I use an existing search query?
Yes. You can enter an existing PubMed query manually or use the available file-upload option when creating a Living Review.

Will new citations be uploaded automatically?
Yes. When the scheduled search runs, newly identified records are automatically added to the existing project.

How are duplicate citations handled?
Newly retrieved citations are checked against records already available in the project to reduce duplicate imports.

Will I be notified when a search runs?
Yes. EasySLR sends an email notification after the scheduled search is completed.

Do new records use the existing protocol?
Yes. Newly added citations can be screened using the project’s established protocol, eligibility criteria, and workflow.

Does Living Review automatically screen new records?
A Living Review retrieves and uploads new citations. If AI is enabled for the relevant screening stages, AI-assisted screening can be applied according to the project configuration.

Can newly included studies use the existing extraction form?
Yes. Studies included through the Living Review workflow can proceed through the extraction forms already configured for the project.

Does Living Review replace reviewer validation?
No. Living Review automates recurring searches and citation imports. Reviewers remain responsible for validating screening decisions, extracted data, and final conclusions.

Summary
Living Review enables EasySLR teams to maintain an ongoing review within a single project. By scheduling recurring PubMed searches, automatically adding new citations, checking for duplicates, and connecting new evidence to existing screening and extraction workflows, it reduces repetitive work while supporting consistency and traceability throughout the review lifecycle.