How to import references

Sample studies

Don't have a file ready to go yet, but want to take Covidence for a spin? Download our sample data and import into your trial review to see how screening works.

Importing studies

You can import references into Covidence by clicking on the Import Studies tool from your Review Summary page. Here you can select the file and the category (which is the stage or step of the review process) that the references will appear in.  Covidence currently supports three formats for file imports:

• EndNote XML
• PubMed text format
• RIS text format

You can import files up to 50 MB in size into Covidence, and up to 15,000 references. Larger files may take longer to upload and process. One file can be imported at a time, and there is no limit to how many imports you can perform.

Covidence automatically de-duplicates references upon import. These are reported on the PRISMA chart as well. 

To import references to your review:

1. Click "Import" from the Review Summary page
   
2. Select the stage of the review that you'd like to import studies into.
3. Optional: Select the source of the references. You can add custom sources using 'Manage sources' icon. If the references in the import file come from more than one source, allocate a single source. You can divide them as necessary after import, by selecting the 'Source' box for your import file on the 'Import history' page as shown here:
4. Click "Choose file" and select the file from your compute
5. Click "Import"
   

Once your file is uploaded, you'll be re-directed to your Review Summary page. From here you can monitor the progress of your import, as shown below.

Once you’ve successfully imported your file into Covidence, it’s best to check your import. To do this, go back to the Import studies tool >> 'Import History' page. Here you can see those references that Covidence has automatically detected as duplicates. If your import appears to have fewer references than expected, check for duplicates.

Importing studies from EndNote

To import studies to Covidence from EndNote, you'll first export your studies either as an XML file or as an RIS file.

To export your studies:

1. Highlight the references you wish to export
2. Click on File >> Export...
3. Select your file type and export style
   • To export as an XML, select "XML" under "Save file as type:", and your choice of output style
     
   • To export as an RIS, select "Text Only" under "Save file as type:", and "RefMan (RIS) Export" under "Output Style:"
     

If you have a file that needs to be converted using EndNote, you may need to download the corresponding EndNote filter. You can download these from here.

This should automatically create and download a file that you can then import directly into your review in Covidence.

Having problems with your import? Check out this article to troubleshoot your issue.