Why Researchers Use Diagrams.net
Diagrams.net (formerly draw.io) is the standard free tool for creating:
- Research methodology flowcharts (PRISMA diagrams, study design charts)
- System architecture diagrams (for CS/engineering papers)
- Data pipeline diagrams
- Neural network / ML architecture visualisations
- Conceptual framework figures
Completely free — no account required, no watermarks, no premium tier. Your diagrams save to your Google Drive, OneDrive, or local files.
PRISMA Flow Diagrams
Systematic reviews require a PRISMA flow diagram showing screening and inclusion steps. Diagrams.net has a PRISMA template built in:
- Open diagrams.net → New → Search “PRISMA”
- Customise the counts and labels
- Export as SVG or high-res PNG
- Drop into your manuscript
Export Options
- SVG — vector, resolution-independent, ideal for LaTeX and HTML
- PDF — for direct submission with correct fonts
- PNG — for slides and Word documents (set DPI to 300)
- XML — save the editable source file
VS Code Integration
The Draw.io VS Code extension lets you edit .drawio files directly inside VS Code and version-control them in your project repository alongside code.