Overview
Rayyan is where review teams meet to screen: upload search results, invite co-reviewers, screen blind to each other’s decisions, then reveal and resolve conflicts. It has become the default because the core collaborative workflow is free and genuinely works.
Why researchers use it
- Blind screening — co-reviewers can’t see each other’s votes until reveal
- Conflict workflow — disagreements surface automatically for resolution
- Free core tier — full team screening without a budget line
Getting started
- Create a review, upload your deduplicated records (RIS/EndNote/CSV).
- Invite co-reviewers and switch on blind mode before anyone starts.
- Screen with keyboard shortcuts; use highlighted keyword rules to speed judgement; resolve conflicts together at the end.
The honest review
Strengths. Battle-tested with review teams worldwide; the inclusion/exclusion audit trail maps directly onto PRISMA reporting requirements.
Limitations. The AI relevance predictions are far less validated than ASReview’s approach — treat them as ordering hints only. The interface gets sluggish above ~10k records, and dedup is weaker than dedicated tools.
When NOT to use this
Solo rapid reviews don’t need the collaboration machinery — and if you want defensible ML-assisted screening for a methods section, ASReview is the stronger citation.