Synthesis

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What Synthesis is

Synthesis is literature review software for organizing and analyzing scoping, systematic, and regular reviews. It manages references and PDFs, lets users search abstracts and full-text PDFs by keyword or phrase, and automatically removes duplicate references. The maker reports externally validated deduplication sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 99%. Review teams can use primary and secondary screening for abstracts and full text, with kappa scores calculated for both stages. Analysis tools include AI-assisted topic clustering, word clouds, metadata extraction, and charts. Embedded search covers PubMed, PubMed Central, IEEE, arXiv.org, and US Patents; references can also be imported from databases including Ovid, Web of Knowledge, ProQuest, and ACM. Synthesis can download many full-text PDFs when open or institutional access is available, and exports references and data as RIS and CSV. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. The maker describes users in universities, hospitals, government agencies, private companies, and nongovernmental organizations. A free trial is available, though each trial project is limited to 50 imported references and uses a slower PDF viewer. Orders and downloads are temporarily suspended while the company develops a new release.

Who it suits

Synthesis suits researchers and review teams at universities, hospitals, government agencies, companies, and nongovernmental organizations. Its screening workflow and reference analysis tools are relevant to people conducting scoping, systematic, or regular literature reviews.

What it does well

Organizes references and PDFs with keyword and phrase search.
Automatically de-duplicates references; reported sensitivity is 98%.
Supports primary and secondary screening with kappa scores.
Offers AI-assisted topic clustering, word clouds, metadata extraction, and charts.
Exports references and data in RIS and CSV.
Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

What to know first

Orders and downloads are temporarily suspended during development of a new release.
Trial projects can import only 50 references each.
The trial uses a slower, non-professional PDF viewer.
A license is tied to an individual computer.

Limits

The trial allows unlimited projects, but each can import only 50 references and uses a slower, non-professional PDF viewer. After a license expires, existing projects remain usable, but new projects can import only 50 references in trial mode.

Getting started

Visit the Synthesis website.
Check whether ordering and downloads have resumed.
Choose Linux, macOS, or Windows when downloading becomes available.
Use the free trial, which permits unlimited projects with up to 50 imported references per project.

Verdict

Synthesis is a fit for review teams that need reference organization, duplicate removal, screening, and analysis in one workflow. Look elsewhere if you need to order or download the software now, or require more than 50 references per project during the trial.

Questions

How much does Synthesis cost?

It is paid software, with pricing available on request.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. It permits unlimited projects, with up to 50 imported references per project and a slower, non-professional PDF viewer.

Which operating systems does Synthesis support?

It is listed for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Can Synthesis search literature databases?

Embedded searches are available for PubMed, PubMed Central, IEEE, arXiv.org, and US Patents. It also imports references from databases including Ovid, Web of Knowledge, ProQuest, and ACM.

Does Synthesis support review teams and exports?

It supports primary and secondary reviewers screening abstracts and full text, calculates kappa scores for both, and exports references and data as RIS and CSV.

Who makes Synthesis, and can I download it now?

Synthesis Research Inc. describes itself as a software development company focused on literature management and analysis. The maker says orders and downloads are temporarily suspended while it develops a new release.

Facts from Synthesis's own pages

Analysis: Features include topic clustering, word clouds, metadata extraction, and charting. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Automated de-duplication: Synthesis automatically de-duplicates imported references; the support page reports externally validated sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 99%. · synthesis.info, 4 Oct 2026
Availability: Orders are temporarily suspended while the company develops a new release. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Company: Synthesis Research Inc. describes itself as a software development company focused on literature management and analysis. · synthesis.info, 4 Oct 2026
Database imports: It can import references from bibliographic databases including Ovid, Web of Knowledge, ProQuest, and ACM. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Database search: Embedded searches are available for PubMed, PubMed Central, IEEE, arXiv.org, and US Patents. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Deduplication: The site reports externally validated deduplication sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 99%. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Download status: Downloads are temporarily suspended while the company develops a new release. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Dual reviewers: It supports primary and secondary reviewers screening abstracts and full text, with kappa scores calculated for both. · synthesis.info, 4 Oct 2026
Exports: References can be exported as RIS for use in citation managers such as EndNote or RefWorks, and displayed data can be exported as CSV. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Headquarters: The maker says Synthesis Research Inc. is located in Calgary, Canada. · synthesis.info, 4 Oct 2026
Intended users: The site describes use in academic research, hospitals, government agencies, private corporations, and nongovernmental organizations. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
License assignment: The license is tied to an individual computer using a computer-specific Installation ID and Registration ID. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
License binding: The maker says a license is tied to an individual computer. · synthesis.info, 4 Oct 2026
License limit: After a license expires, existing projects remain usable, while new projects can import only 50 references in trial mode. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Orders and downloads: The maker says orders and downloads are temporarily suspended while it develops a new release. · synthesis.info, 4 Oct 2026
PDF access: Synthesis can download many full-text PDFs when open access or institutional access is available. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
PDF downloading: Synthesis can automatically download many full-text PDFs available through open access or institutional access. · synthesis.info, 4 Oct 2026
Purpose: Synthesis is software for conducting scoping, systematic, and regular literature reviews. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Reference management: It organizes references and PDFs and supports keyword and phrase searches across abstracts and full-text PDFs. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Reviewers: It supports primary and secondary reviewers screening abstracts and full text, with automatic kappa score calculation. · synthesis.info, 5 Oct 2026
Search sources: Embedded search is listed for PubMed, PubMed Central, IEEE, arXiv.org, and US Patents, with imports from bibliographic databases including Ovid, Web of Knowledge, and ProQuest. · synthesis.info, 4 Oct 2026
Support: The support page offers an online reference manual, a help sheet, and YouTube tutorials. · synthesis.info, 4 Oct 2026
Trial limits: The trial allows unlimited projects, but each project can import only 50 references and uses a slower, non-professional PDF viewer. · synthesis.info, 4 Oct 2026

Where Synthesis stands on Freedom251

Literature Review Software#27 of 28