PubMed Integration in EasySLR

PubMed Integration in EasySLR

The PubMed Query Generation tool in EasySLR helps you create a ready-to-use search strategy for PubMed in just a few steps. This saves valuable time by eliminating the need to build queries from scratch and ensures your search is comprehensive and aligned with your research objective.

When to Use This Tool
  • At the start of a systematic review to create a structured search strategy.
  • When you need to ensure all relevant PICOS terms are captured in your search.
  • To quickly adapt search strategies for different research topics.
How to Generate a PubMed Search Query
  1. Select PubMed in the Search Query section or access PubMed Query Generation from tools.
  2. Click ‘Generate PubMed Queries’
  3. Add Your Research Objective


  1. Validate the Research Objective: Use the Validate option to ensure all relevant PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes, Study Design) terms are included.


  1. Select Target Range of Articles

  2. Add Key Articles for Maximum Recall: Include known relevant articles to help optimize recall and ensure your search strategy captures all important literature.
Refining Your Search Terms
The tool automatically generates PICOS-based search terms.
  • You can edit these terms to make them more specific or broader.
  • You can add custom terms to capture unique aspects of your research topic.


Advanced Query Builder

Advanced Query Builder helps you create structured, transparent, and reproducible PubMed search strategies using a full-featured, PubMed-style interface.
It replaces the basic PICOS editor with a more flexible system that provides:
  • Real-time query preview
  • Live result counts
  • Search history tracking
  • Built-in filters

This ensures your search development process is structured, traceable, and audit-ready.
Use the Advanced Query Builder when:
  • Drafting or refining your PubMed search strategy
  • Building a structured PICOS-based query
  • Comparing multiple search iterations
  • Estimating screening volume before export
  • Preparing protocol-ready search documentation

Add Terms by PICOS Category
You can organise terms under:
  • Population
  • Intervention
  • Comparison
  • Outcome
  • Study Design

To Add a Term
  1. Select the search field (e.g., Title/Abstract)
  2. Enter your search term
  3. Choose the Boolean operator (AND / OR)
  4. Click Add
The system automatically constructs the query logic based on your inputs.

Real-Time Query Preview
The generated PubMed query appears instantly in the Query Box.

You can:
  • Edit the query manually
  • Combine search lines
  • Reference previous lines (e.g., #1, #2)
  • Adjust Boolean operators
This provides full control over search construction while maintaining structure.

Fetch Live Result Count
Click Count to retrieve the live number of results directly from PubMed.

This helps you:
  • Estimate screening workload
  • Adjust scope
  • Refine Boolean structure
  • Identify overly broad or overly restrictive terms

Open in PubMed
Click Open to run the exact generated query directly in PubMed.

This allows you to:
  • Validate results externally
  • Export citations
  • Confirm search behaviour

Using the Filters Panel
The Filters Panel helps refine search results before finalising your strategy.

Available filter options include:
  • Publication Date (1 year, 5 years, 10 years, custom range)
  • Text Availability (Abstract, Free full text, Full text)
  • Article Type
  • Article Attributes
Filters are organised into collapsible groups for easier navigation. Use filters carefully to avoid unintended exclusions that may reduce recall.

Search History Tracking
Each time you run a search, the system automatically saves:
  • Query string
  • Result count
  • Recall (if applicable)
  • Time stamp

Key Details
  • Up to 20 search iterations are stored
  • Search history persists across sessions
  • Stored securely within background job metadata

This enables you to:
  • Compare query refinements
  • Track improvements in recall
  • Maintain documentation for audit and reporting

Background Job Detail Panel
The job detail section is collapsible, allowing you to:
  • Reduce screen clutter
  • Focus on query results
  • Improve readability when reviewing search performance

Benefits of the Advanced Query Builder
  • Improves search transparency
  • Strengthens reproducibility
  • Automatically tracks search evolution
  • Reduces manual documentation burden
  • Supports protocol-ready reporting
The Advanced Query Builder ensures your PubMed search development remains structured, traceable, and methodologically rigorous within EasySLR.

Importing Articles Directly from PubMed
When you click on the "Add Articles" button, you’ll be redirected to another window where you can:
  • Directly import articles into your project without navigating to PubMed.
  • Select a Publication Year range to narrow your import.
  • Reverify articles within the tool and either import all results or a selected subset.

Note: If your search returns more than 10,000 articles, we recommend downloading the NBIB file from PubMed and uploading it to EasySLR as Pubmed does not allow importing more than 10,000 articles at a time. For step-by-step instructions refer to the help article here: How to export NBIB File from PubMed?

Copy Query
Once your search string is finalised, click "Copy Query" to duplicate it exactly for record-keeping.

Note: While AI features can assist and speed up the review process, users should be aware that large language models (LLMs) may produce incomplete or incorrect results. Clear and well-defined protocols are essential for reliable AI support. All AI outputs should be carefully reviewed, and the final judgment and decision-making responsibility always rests with human reviewers.

Best Practices & Tips
  • Always review generated queries for accuracy before running them in PubMed.
  • Avoid overly broad queries to reduce irrelevant results.
  • Use Key Articles to ensure important literature is included in the recall.
  • Compare multiple search iterations before finalizing the query.
  • Broaden terms if recall is too low and apply filters cautiously.
  • Check the query in PubMed to confirm results and counts externally.
  • Document the final query and result count in your protocol.

Result Count Too High?
  • Narrow Boolean logic
  • Add field restrictions (e.g., Title/Abstract)
  • Apply date or article type filters

Result Count Too Low?
  • Broaden search terms
  • Add synonyms
  • Remove restrictive filters

Query Not Updating?
  • Ensure terms are added using the Add button
  • Review Boolean operators
  • Check active filters

Benefits of the Search Query Generation Tool
  • Saves time of manual query drafting.
  • Ensures consistent use of PICOS framework for robust search strategies.
  • Improves recall by leveraging key articles as references.
  • Easy to refine and adapt to changing project needs.

Q1. Are AI credits charged when I generate a search query?
 Yes. 200  AI credits are consumed each time you generate a new search query, whether it’s your first query or a regenerated one.

Q2. Does copying a query consume AI credits?
 No. "Copy Query" simply duplicates the existing search string and does not use AI credits.

Q3. Are AI credits used when searching or importing articles directly from PubMed?
 No. AI credits are not charged for executing the search or importing articles from PubMed. Credits are only used for query generation.

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