SyRF
What it is
SyRF is a free web platform for evidence synthesis, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses of preclinical research. Researchers can collaborate on projects, customize workflows, screen studies, annotate records, extract data, and use educational guidance. Screening normally assigns two independent reviewers and a third reviewer for disagreements; single screening can be enabled for student projects, though the guide does not recommend it for journal reviews. Administrators create annotation questions and attach them to review stages, with graph extraction requiring data extraction to be enabled as well. SyRF imports deduplicated references in EndNote Desktop XML or CSV format. Full-text PDFs can be linked, but users provide the files separately for SyRF staff to process and store. Studies and associated quantitative data can be downloaded for analysis in software such as R or SAS. Projects may be public or private, and each project supports one inclusion-and-exclusion criteria set.
For and against
For
- Supports systematic reviews and meta-analyses
- Uses independent screening with disagreement review
- Allows customizable annotation stages
- Exports quantitative data for analysis
- Freely available online
Against
- Only one criteria set per project
- Reference imports must be deduplicated
- EndNote Web XML is incompatible
- Users must supply PDFs separately
The verdict
SyRF brings screening, annotation, extraction, and collaboration into a single online review workspace. Its documented import and criteria limits should be checked before starting a project.
Who it suits
It is intended for researchers conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of preclinical studies. Teams needing collaborative screening, extraction, and downloadable project data may find its workflow suitable.
Plans and prices
SyRF
Freely available online platform; feature set is described as minimum and under continuous development
Read 3 Oct 2026 · help.syrf.org.uk
On the record
- Annotation
- Project administrators can build annotation questions and assign them to review stages.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Collaboration
- Researchers can collaborate on projects and tailor project workflows to their needs.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Data export
- Project administrators can download studies and associated data, including quantitative data for analysis in software such as R or SAS.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Data extraction
- Data extraction for graphs requires enabling data extraction alongside annotation in a project stage.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Developer and funding
- CAMARADES developed SyRF with initial funding from the UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- SyRF is intended for researchers conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of preclinical studies.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Known workflow limit
- A project currently supports only one set of inclusion and exclusion criteria.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- PDF handling
- Full-text PDFs can be linked to studies, but users must provide the PDFs separately for the SyRF team to process and store.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Project visibility
- Projects can be public or private; public project names and descriptions are visible to other SyRF users.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- SyRF supports evidence synthesis and systematic reviews of preclinical research, including storing extracted data and providing educational resources and guidance.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Reference imports
- SyRF accepts deduplicated references as EndNote Desktop XML or CSV; XML exports from EndNote Web or other software are not compatible.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Screening
- Reviewers can screen studies against project inclusion and exclusion criteria, with two independent screeners and a third reviewer for disagreements by default.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Single screening limit
- Single screening can be enabled for student projects; the guide does not recommend it for reviews intended for journal publication.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
- Support
- The guide directs users to contact the SyRF Help Desk for help with manual screening-disagreement reconciliation.help.syrf.org.uk · read 3 Oct 2026
