A PRISMA flow diagram generator is a free online tool that turns your study-selection numbers into the standard flow diagram required for a systematic review or meta-analysis. Instead of dragging boxes around in Word or PowerPoint, you type how many records you found and excluded at each stage, and the generator draws a clean, correctly connected PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for you.
The PRISMA 2020 flow diagram (from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement) is the figure reviewers and journals expect. It maps your review across three stages — Identification, Screening, and Included — showing exactly how you moved from thousands of database records to the final set of studies, and why records were removed along the way. This generator builds that figure to spec and checks your numbers add up, so your methods section is transparent and reproducible.
Building the figure by hand is slow and error-prone. This tool makes it fast, accurate, and journal-ready.
No more aligning boxes and arrows in Word. Type your numbers and the diagram draws itself, updating live as you edit.
The tool automatically checks that your totals are consistent — so screened, excluded, and included numbers can never silently contradict each other.
Download a high-resolution PNG, a vector SVG, a print PDF, or a Word file — ready for a thesis, dissertation, or journal submission.
Get an automatically written study-selection paragraph to adapt for your methods section, matching the numbers in your diagram.
Everything runs in your browser. Your unpublished review data is never uploaded to a server or an AI service.
Built on the current PRISMA 2020 structure and terminology, so your figure matches what reviewers and editors expect.
| Feature | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Live PRISMA 2020 diagram | A correctly connected flow diagram that updates instantly as you enter numbers. |
| Multiple databases & registers | Add PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, registers, and other sources — totals are summed automatically. |
| Automatic consistency check | Flags any stage where the numbers don't add up, before you export. |
| Exclusion reason breakdown | Enter reasons (wrong population, wrong outcome…) and see a table with counts and shares. |
| Results paragraph | A ready-to-adapt study-selection paragraph for your methods section. |
| Full-screen preview | Open the diagram full screen to review every box clearly before you download. |
| Export options | Download as PNG, SVG, PDF, or Word — plus copy the image straight to your clipboard. |
| Design controls | Adjust font, size, spacing, and orientation while the diagram stays PRISMA-shaped. |
The generator walks you through each PRISMA stage. Here’s the whole process.
Enter how many records you found in each database and register, plus any records from other sources.
Add duplicates removed and any records removed before screening. The tool derives records screened.
Enter records excluded at title/abstract. The generator calculates reports sought for retrieval.
Add reports not retrieved, and the tool works out how many reports were assessed for eligibility.
List your full-text exclusion reasons and counts. A breakdown table appears automatically.
Enter studies included, review the consistency check, then download your diagram as PNG, SVG, PDF, or Word.
The generator walks you through each PRISMA stage. Here’s the whole process.
| Stage | What it shows | Key numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Identification | All records found before any screening, from databases, registers, and other sources. | Records identified · duplicates removed |
| Screening | Records screened by title/abstract, records excluded, reports sought and not retrieved, and full-text exclusions with reasons. | Records screened · excluded · reports assessed |
| Included | The studies that met all criteria and were included in the review (and meta-analysis, if applicable). | Studies included · reports of included studies |
The PRISMA flow diagram is required in most systematic review submissions — this builds it to spec in minutes.
Show how studies were selected before pooling, with an optional "studies in meta-analysis" count.
Add a clean, examiner-ready study-selection figure to your PhD or Master's literature chapter.
Adapt the flow to document identification and selection for scoping and rapid reviews.
Export a high-resolution figure that meets journal image requirements for your manuscript.
Demonstrate the PRISMA process to students with a live, interactive diagram.
The diagram is one piece. If you'd like expert help with the protocol, PRISMA-compliant search, screening, or the statistical analysis behind your review, our team can support you — no pressure, just here if you need it.
A PRISMA flow diagram is a standard figure that shows how studies were identified, screened, and selected in a systematic review or meta-analysis. It follows the PRISMA 2020 structure: records identified, duplicates removed, records screened and excluded, reports sought and assessed, and studies finally included.
Yes — completely free with no sign-up. You enter your study-selection numbers, the diagram updates live, and you can download it as PNG, SVG, PDF or Word. Everything runs in your browser and nothing you enter is uploaded.
Yes. The generator uses the PRISMA 2020 flow structure and terminology (records, reports, studies) across the Identification, Screening, and Included stages, and it automatically checks that your numbers are internally consistent.
Yes. Export a high-resolution PNG, a vector SVG, a print-ready PDF, or a Word file, so the figure is ready for a thesis, dissertation, or journal submission. Always confirm the final figure against your target journal’s requirements.
Records identified from each database and register, duplicates and records removed before screening, records excluded at screening, reports not retrieved, reports excluded with reasons, and the number of studies included. The tool derives the totals and checks them for you.
Yes — this tool builds the figure, but our systematic review team can help with the protocol, search strategy, screening, and write-up, and our statistical analysts can run the meta-analysis behind it.
Use the generator as often as you like. When you’re ready for expert help with your systematic review or meta-analysis, ManuscriptLab’s researchers and editors are here.
Tell us a bit about your project and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.