PRISMA 2020 Flow Diagram Generator
A free PRISMA flowchart maker for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Enter your counts, let the tool check the arithmetic, and download a manuscript-ready figure.
Your data stays in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, stored or used for analytics, so export your work before closing the page.
1. Choose the PRISMA 2020 template
Pick the template that matches how your review identified studies. Counts are entered once; the diagram redraws as you type.
2. Identification
Enter 0 where a source was not used. Blank fields are treated as missing, never as zero.
Databases and registers
Records removed before screening
3. Screening and eligibility
Records are titles/abstracts screened; reports are the documents retrieved and assessed. Calculated values update automatically and cannot be edited.
Reports excluded, with reasons
Each reason and its count. Reasons are listed in the order entered. Leave empty if no reports were excluded.
4. Included
Reports and studies are different things: one study can have several reports. The number of studies cannot be derived from reports, so enter it yourself.
Optional: cross-check totals you already have
Enter totals from your own records. They never change the diagram; a mismatch with the calculated value is reported as an error.
Your PRISMA 2020 flow diagram
Fix these before exporting (8)
- Records from databases is missing. Enter 0 if there were none.
- Records from registers is missing. Enter 0 if there were none.
- Duplicate records removed is missing. Enter 0 if there were none.
- Records marked ineligible by automation tools is missing. Enter 0 if there were none.
- Records removed for other reasons is missing. Enter 0 if there were none.
- Records excluded is missing. Enter 0 if there were none.
- Reports not retrieved is missing. Enter 0 if there were none.
- Studies included in review is missing. Enter 0 if there were none.
Export is disabled until the 8 issues above are resolved.
What this tool does
This tool draws a PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for the identification, screening and inclusion stages of a systematic review. It follows the structure of the four official PRISMA 2020 flow diagram templates: new or updated reviews, each with or without a second branch for other methods such as websites, organisations and citation searching.
It does the arithmetic that is easy to get wrong by hand. Records screened, reports sought, reports assessed and reports of included studies are calculated from the numbers you enter, and any inconsistency, such as more exclusions than records, is shown as an error before you can export. A blank field is never treated as zero, and the tool never fills in a number for you.
It also keeps records, reports and studies apart. Records are database hits or other identified items, reports are the documents you retrieve and assess, and studies are the investigations those reports describe. One study can have many reports, so the number of included studies is something you enter, and it is checked against the number of included reports.
Who should use it
- Authors of systematic reviews and meta-analyses who need a PRISMA 2020 template for a manuscript, protocol update or thesis.
- Medical students and residents preparing a first review who want the counts checked as they go.
- Review teams updating an earlier review and needing the updated-review layout with previous studies carried over.
How to use it
- Choose the template that matches your review: new or updated, and whether you searched only databases and registers or other sources too.
- Enter the counts from your search log. Use 0 where a source was not used; leave a box blank only if you do not yet know the number.
- Add each full-text exclusion reason with its count. Long reasons are wrapped automatically.
- Enter the number of included studies. Read any errors that appear and correct the counts that cause them.
- Download the diagram as PNG, SVG or PDF. Use SVG when you want to edit the figure in a vector editor.
Worked example (hypothetical numbers)
These numbers are invented to show the arithmetic and do not come from a real review. A team searches databases (1,200 records) and registers (80 records), a total of 1,280. They remove 300 duplicates, 20 records marked ineligible by automation tools and 10 records for other reasons, which leaves 1,280 − 330 = 950 records to screen.
Screening excludes 800 records, so 950 − 800 = 150 reports are sought. Five cannot be retrieved, so 145 are assessed for eligibility. They exclude 40 for the wrong population and 15 because no full text was available, 55 in all, so 145 − 55 = 90 reports describe included studies. Those 90 reports belong to 30 studies, a number the team enters because it cannot be calculated from the reports.
Use the “Load hypothetical example” button in the tool to see this laid out as a diagram.
Common mistakes
Treating reports and studies as the same thing
PRISMA 2020 counts reports (documents) at the eligibility and inclusion stages and studies only for the final number. A trial with a protocol, a main paper and a follow-up paper is one study and three reports.
Counting duplicates after screening
Duplicates are removed before screening, so the number screened is the number identified minus all records removed before screening.
Exclusion reasons that do not add up
The reasons listed for excluded reports must sum to the total excluded. Give one primary reason per report so no report is counted twice.
Leaving out reports that could not be retrieved
Reports sought but not retrieved are a separate step. They reduce the number assessed for eligibility.
Reporting only a combined total for databases
PRISMA 2020 suggests reporting the number of records from each database or register where feasible. Keep that table in your methods or supplement and use the diagram for the totals.
Frequently asked questions
Is the PRISMA flow diagram generator free?
Yes. It is free, needs no account and has no usage limits. Downloads are not restricted.
Is my data sent to a server?
No. The counts you type stay in your browser and are used only to draw and export the figure. They are not saved, so keep your own copy of the numbers.
Which PRISMA 2020 templates are supported?
New reviews and updated reviews, each for searches of databases and registers only or with additional other methods such as websites, organisations and citation searching.
Is this the official PRISMA tool?
No. It is an independent MedResearch Ninja tool that follows the structure of the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram. It is not endorsed by the PRISMA group. For the official templates and guidance see the PRISMA statement website.
What is the difference between the PRISMA 2009 and 2020 diagrams?
PRISMA 2020 adds registers and other methods as identification sources, separates records from reports, and provides a layout for updated reviews.
Does the diagram include MedResearch Ninja branding?
No. The figure contains only your counts and, if you leave the option on, a citation of the PRISMA 2020 statement.
References
- Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 2021;372:n71. doi:10.1136/bmj.n71
- Page MJ, Moher D, Bossuyt PM, et al. PRISMA 2020 explanation and elaboration: updated guidance and exemplars for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 2021;372:n160. doi:10.1136/bmj.n160
- Haddaway NR, Page MJ, Pritchard CC, McGuinness LA. PRISMA2020: An R package and Shiny app for producing PRISMA 2020-compliant flow diagrams. Campbell Systematic Reviews 2022;18:e1230. doi:10.1002/cl2.1230
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