Use labels to tag and organize your references, and exclusion reasons to record why a reference was excluded, in both Screening and Full text screening.
| Feature | What it's for | Appears in PRISMA? | Filterable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labels | Short, flexible tags to group or flag references, such as "Full Text Needed", "RCT", or "Pediatric" | No | Yes |
| Exclusion reasons | The documented reason a reference was excluded, such as "Wrong population" or "Not peer-reviewed" | Yes | Yes |
How to add labels and exclusion reasons
The steps are the same for both.
- Open a reference and click Label or Reason in the decision bar.
- Select an existing item, or type a new one and check its box.
- Click Apply.
Once applied, the label or reason is saved to the list, so everyone in the review can use it again.
How to remove labels and exclusion reasons
To remove a label or reason from a reference, open the panel again, clear its checkbox, and click Apply.
- With Blind Mode on, you can only manage your own labels and reasons.
- With Blind Mode off, any member except Viewers can remove labels or reasons added by others.
To remove them from several references at once, use multi-select, available on all plans. On the Free plan, you can select up to 10 references at a time. See Bulk Actions and Multi-Select in Rayyan.
How to remove a label or reason from your whole review
Rayyan doesn't have a single delete option for this. A label or reason disappears from the list once no reference carries it, so you need to clear it from every reference:
- Turn off Blind Mode, so you can see everyone's labels and reasons.
- In Filter by Inclusion, choose All articles. The default view shows only undecided references.
- In Filters, select the label or reason you want to remove.
- Select all the matching references, clear the label or reason, and click Apply.
How exclusion reasons appear in PRISMA
Exclusion reasons from both Screening and Full text screening are added to your PRISMA flow diagram automatically. The ready-made reasons can't be edited or removed, and the reasons you create stay available for as long as the review exists. For details, see How to Create a PRISMA Flow Diagram in Rayyan.
Continue to: How to Filter, Search, and Sort References in Rayyan