Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about EvidAI, systematic review methodology, and getting the most from the platform.
Getting Started
How do I start my first systematic review?
- Create an account at evidai.ai
- Navigate to Evidence Studio from your dashboard
- Click "New Review" and select your review type (Systematic Review, Rapid Review, etc.)
- Define your research question - the AI will help structure it using PICO
- Follow the guided workflow through search, screening, extraction, and synthesis
Tip: Start with the Quick Start Guide for a complete walkthrough.
What's the difference between the review types?
| Review Type | Best For | Typical Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Systematic Review | Comprehensive evidence for clinical decisions, regulatory submissions | 6-8 weeks with EvidAI (vs 12-18 months traditional) |
| Rapid Review | Urgent decisions, policy questions, preliminary evidence assessment | 1-2 weeks |
| Scoping Review | Mapping a research area, identifying gaps, planning future reviews | 3-4 weeks |
| Living Review | Topics with ongoing research, guidelines needing continuous updates | Ongoing |
| Umbrella Review | Synthesizing existing systematic reviews | 5-7 weeks |
| Evidence Mapping | Visual overview of research landscape for funders or policymakers | 3-4 weeks |
How many studies can EvidAI handle?
EvidAI is designed for reviews of any size:
- Small reviews: 100-500 citations - Full AI assistance
- Medium reviews: 500-5,000 citations - Optimized screening workflows
- Large reviews: 5,000-20,000 citations - Batch processing, priority ranking
- Very large reviews: 20,000+ citations - Enterprise features, distributed screening
The AI actually performs better on larger reviews because it has more data to learn from.
AI & Accuracy
How accurate is the AI screening?
Our multi-agent consensus system achieves:
| Metric | Performance | What This Means |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | 96.2% | Misses fewer than 4% of relevant studies |
| Specificity | 93.5% | Correctly excludes most irrelevant studies |
| Human Agreement | 94.1% | Matches expert decisions 94% of the time |
Key Point: The AI is designed for high sensitivity - we'd rather flag a few extra studies for human review than miss something important.
Can I trust AI for regulatory submissions?
Yes, with important caveats:
Why EvidAI is trusted:
- Complete audit trails documenting every AI decision
- Source attribution showing exactly where data came from
- Human verification workflow for all critical decisions
- PRISMA compliance built into the workflow
- Used by pharmaceutical companies for FDA/EMA submissions
Best practices for regulatory work:
- Enable dual screening with human reconciliation
- Verify all AI-extracted numerical data
- Document AI methodology in your protocol
- Maintain the complete audit trail
What happens when AI is uncertain?
The system uses confidence-based routing:
| Confidence Level | AI Action | Your Action |
|---|---|---|
| >90% confidence | AI makes decision | Quick verification |
| 70-90% confidence | AI suggests, flags for review | Recommended review |
| <70% confidence | No AI decision | Full human decision required |
You can adjust these thresholds in your review settings.
Workflow Questions
How do I handle disagreements between screeners?
EvidAI provides multiple resolution options:
- Discussion Mode: Reviewers see each other's reasoning and can discuss in-platform
- Third Reviewer: Automatically assign conflicts to a designated third reviewer
- PI Resolution: Route all conflicts to the Principal Investigator
- Majority Vote: For teams of 3+, use majority decision
All conflict resolution is documented in the audit trail.
Can I import references from other tools?
Yes, EvidAI supports imports from:
| Source | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EndNote | XML, RIS | Full metadata preserved |
| Zotero | Two-way sync | Real-time synchronization |
| Mendeley | RIS, BibTeX | One-time import |
| Covidence | CSV export | Migration support |
| Database Exports | RIS, CSV, XML | PubMed, Embase, etc. |
How do I enable Living Review monitoring?
- Complete your initial systematic review
- Navigate to Review Settings → Living Review
- Configure:
- Monitoring frequency (daily, weekly, monthly)
- Update thresholds (what triggers an update)
- Stakeholder notifications
- Activate monitoring
The system will automatically execute your search strategy, screen new studies, and assess their impact.
Pricing & Credits
How does the credit system work?
Credits are consumed for AI-powered actions:
| Action | Approximate Credits |
|---|---|
| EvidAsk query | 8 credits |
| Screening batch (100 studies) | 10-15 credits |
| Full-text extraction (per paper) | 5 credits |
| Meta-analysis generation | 20 credits |
Credit usage depends on document complexity and AI model used.
What's included in each plan?
| Feature | Academic | Professional | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credits/month | 1,000 | 10,000 | Custom |
| Active reviews | 3 | 10 | Unlimited |
| Living Reviews | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Team collaboration | Limited | Full | Full |
| SSO/SAML | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Priority support | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ + dedicated |
Technical Questions
Which databases can I search?
EvidAI connects to 80+ databases including:
Primary Medical:
- PubMed/MEDLINE
- Embase
- Cochrane Library
- CINAHL
Multidisciplinary:
- Web of Science
- Scopus
- OpenAlex
- Semantic Scholar
Specialized:
- PsycINFO
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- WHO ICTRP
- Europe PMC
Is my data secure?
Security measures include:
- Encryption: All data encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.3)
- Access Control: Role-based permissions with audit logging
- Compliance: GDPR and HIPAA-ready infrastructure
- Data Residency: Options for regional data storage (US, EU)
- Backups: Automated daily backups with 30-day retention
For enterprise customers, additional options include dedicated tenants and customer-managed encryption keys.
Can I integrate EvidAI with other tools?
Built-in integrations:
- Zotero (two-way sync)
- Reference managers via RIS/BibTeX
- Export to RevMan, R, Stata
Enterprise API access:
- RESTful API for custom integrations
- Webhook notifications
- Bulk data export
- SSO/SAML integration
Support
How do I contact support?
| Support Level | Contact Method | Response Time |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation | This docs site | Immediate |
| support@EvidAI.ai | 24-48 hours | |
| Live Chat | Platform (Pro+) | Business hours |
| Priority | Dedicated channel | 4-hour SLA |
| Enterprise | Account manager | Dedicated support |
Where can I learn more?
Resources:
- Documentation - Comprehensive guides
- Blog - Best practices and updates
- Webinars - Live training sessions
- Community Forum - User discussions