Covidence uses Unpaywall to automatically upload open access PDFs, saving your team time during full text screening.
If Covidence can’t upload the PDF, then we will show a link to the full text using LibKey’s open access library.
How it works
When a study moves into full text screening, or is imported directly into full text or data extraction, Covidence uses the study's DOI to check if an open access PDF is available and uploads it automatically. There may be a short delay for larger imports.
Requirements and limitations
The study must have a DOI. Without one, Covidence can't check for open access availability.
In some cases, a study is open access but Unpaywall doesn't have a PDF available to upload.
Studies that were in full text review before 7 April 2022 will not have PDFs uploaded automatically.
Tips
Use the filter feature to filter by studies with full texts uploaded so you can start screening straight away.
Automatic retrieval can't be turned off. If you'd prefer Covidence not to retrieve PDFs, remove DOIs from the data you export from your reference manager.