How Can I Edit or Delete a Label or Exclusion Reason in Rayyan?

While Rayyan doesn’t currently offer a direct way to edit or delete a label/exclusion reason from the global list, there is a handy workaround using the multi-select feature to update or remove them from all relevant articles at once. This is especially important when working on collaborative reviews with blinding.

✅ Step-by-step workaround:

🔓 If blinding is OFF (recommended for this action):

1. Access your review.

2. If you're collaborating, turn off blinding first. This ensures you can see all labels/reasons added by every member.
   

3. Go to the Screening stage.

4. Open the Filter's Workbench.

5. Use the search bar to find the Labels (or Exclusion Reasons) facet.
   

6. Filter by the label/reason you want to edit or delete.

7. Make sure you're viewing All Articles (not just your own).

8. Use the multi-select feature to select all articles with that label.
   🔐 Premium users can quickly select all using the checkbox beside “Filter by Inclusion”. 
   
   

9. From the menu, choose Label or Reason.

10. Remove the unwanted label/reason by de-selecting it, and type in the new one and select it if you're editing.
    .

11. Click Apply – you're done! 
    

🔒 If blinding is ON:

You’ll only see your own labels/reasons, so you’ll need to repeat the above steps for each collaborator (or ask them to do it on their end).

For collaborative label cleanup, we recommend turning off blinding temporarily to streamline the process.

🧠 Pro Tip:

Once all articles using a label are updated, the old label will no longer appear in the label list.

💬 Still Need Help?

We’re here for you. Submit a support ticket and we’ll assist you personally.

And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @rayyanapp for updates, tips, and tricks!