PRISMA flow diagram generator
Build the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for your systematic review as plain text — records identified, screened, assessed for eligibility and included, with counts at every stage. Rendered locally, so an unpublished review never leaves your device.
One step per line. Indent two spaces to branch beneath the line above.
Worked example: exported from this page, counts checked
The figure is the default example from the editor above — a new review that searched databases and registers — exported with the SVG and PNG buttons on 1 October 2026 and not edited afterwards. The table under it runs the same diagram text through the count check the editor shows below the preview.
Count check for this example
| Box | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Records screened [C] | 1,240 − 310 = 930 | ✓ adds up |
| Reports sought for retrieval [E] | 930 − 720 = 210 | ✓ adds up · usually equal |
| Reports assessed for eligibility [G] | 210 − 15 = 195 | ✓ adds up |
| Reports of included studies [I] | 195 − 153 = 42 | ✓ adds up |
| Studies included in review [I] | 38 ≤ 42 (reports of included studies) | ✓ within limit |
Each row is one rule of the PRISMA 2020 flow: a box must equal the boxes above it minus what was removed, excluded or not retrieved. A row marked “usually equal” can differ for a legitimate reason that you explain in the text.
Version and sources
- Reporting guideline: PRISMA 2020 — Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 2021;372:n71. It replaces PRISMA 2009, which its authors say should no longer be used. doi:10.1136/bmj.n71
- Box wording compared on 1 October 2026 with the four official flow diagram templates (new and updated reviews, each with databases and registers only or with other sources as well), which are published under CC BY 4.0. prisma-statement.org: PRISMA 2020 flow diagram
- The statement defines a record as the title or abstract of a report indexed in a database or website, and a report as a document supplying information about a study (journal article, preprint, register entry and so on); one study might have several reports. That is why the included box counts studies and reports separately.
What the templates cover
- New review, databases and registers only — the default example and the blank template.
- New review with other sources — a second column for websites, organisations and citation searching that joins the included box.
- Updated review — studies from the previous version plus new searches, with totals; with or without other sources.
- An optional meta-analysis box. None of the four official templates has one; add it only if your journal or protocol asks for it.
- Counts per database: the official templates suggest reporting records from each database or register where feasible. List them in the identification box — “Records identified from: MEDLINE (n = 512), Embase (n = 668), registers (n = 60)” — and the check adds them up.
- Automation tools: if tools excluded records, the official template asks how many were excluded by a human and how many by the tools. Write both in the records-excluded box — “Records excluded: by reviewers (n = 690), by automation tools (n = 30)” — and the check uses their sum.
What this page is not
- Not affiliated with or endorsed by the PRISMA group. PRISMA 2020 is their guideline; this page only draws its flow diagram from your text.
- Not a substitute for the 27-item PRISMA 2020 checklist or the abstract checklist — report against those separately.
- The count check is arithmetic on the numbers you typed. It cannot tell whether those numbers are right, and it only runs while the boxes keep the template ids (A, B, C …).
- It does not search databases, remove duplicates or screen records; the counts come from your own screening log.
Getting the figure into a manuscript
- SVG keeps the diagram as vectors, with every label as real text. We opened the exported file in librsvg 2.62, a renderer that is not a web browser: all labels rendered inside their boxes.
- For LaTeX, convert the SVG to PDF and include the PDF as the figure. We ran this command on 1 October 2026; the PDF kept the text selectable and every count could be read back out of it:
rsvg-convert -f pdf -o prisma.pdf prisma-flow-diagram-generator.svg - PNG is rendered at twice the diagram size on a white background. In dark mode the export uses the dark theme and a dark background, so switch your system to light mode before exporting a journal figure.
- Layout is automatic: Mermaid decides where each box goes. The boxes, wording and arrows follow the official template, but positions can differ from the official figure — the identification band, for instance, may sit beside screening instead of above it.
- Labels wrap at about 200 px, so a long list of exclusion reasons makes a box taller, not wider. The line breaks are written into the SVG, so a different fallback font (the file asks for IBM Plex Mono, then Menlo, Consolas, DejaVu Sans Mono or Courier New) does not re-wrap the text.
- Not tested by us: inserting the figure into Microsoft Word or Overleaf, or uploading it to a particular journal system. Check your journal’s figure requirements before submitting.
The PRISMA 2020 flow diagram, briefly
PRISMA 2020 is the reporting standard for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and the flow diagram is its most recognisable artifact: it accounts for every record from identification through screening and eligibility assessment to the studies finally included. Most journals will not send a review out for peer review without one.
The 2020 revision replaced the older 2009 chart: it distinguishes records (search hits) from reports (retrieved full texts), adds an optional path for trial registers and other sources, and folds the eligibility assessment into the screening phase. The templates on this page follow the 2020 structure.
Make the numbers reconcile
Reviewers and editors check the arithmetic first, so the counts must chain: records screened = records identified − records removed before screening; reports assessed for eligibility = reports sought for retrieval − reports not retrieved; and reports of included studies = reports assessed − reports excluded. Reports sought is usually records screened − records excluded, but one record can lead to more than one report, so that step may legitimately differ.
PRISMA 2020 counts studies and reports separately because one study can have several reports — studies included can be lower than reports of included studies, never higher. The editor checks all of this as you type: under the preview it names any box whose count does not follow from the boxes above it. It is a warning only; rendering and export are never blocked.
From screening log to submission
Start from the blank template while screening is under way, fill in counts as they stabilise, and keep the Mermaid source next to your review protocol so the diagram stays reproducible. For submission, export an SVG — vector output stays sharp in a PDF at any size — or a PNG if the journal asks for a raster figure.
Everything renders in your browser, which matters here: an unpublished review, its search counts and its exclusion reasons never touch a server.
Diagram types
Frequently asked questions
What is a PRISMA flow diagram?
It is the flow chart required by the PRISMA statement for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. It documents how many records were identified, removed, screened, excluded, assessed for eligibility and finally included, so readers can audit the study-selection process.
Does this follow PRISMA 2020?
Yes. The box wording follows the four official PRISMA 2020 templates — new or updated review, with or without other sources — compared on 1 October 2026: records versus reports, removal before screening, retrieval and eligibility, and studies versus reports in the included box. The 2009 chart drew four phase bars including a separate Eligibility band; in PRISMA 2020 the eligibility assessment sits within screening, which is how the templates here draw it.
Do the counts have to add up?
Yes — each stage follows from the one above it, and the editor checks this as you type: below the preview it names any box that does not add up, for example records screened ≠ records identified − records removed before screening. The check is arithmetic only; it cannot tell whether your numbers are correct.
Can I submit the exported figure to a journal?
Export SVG for a vector figure — its labels are real text, so it converts cleanly to PDF — or PNG where a raster image is required; neither carries a watermark. We have not tested specific journal submission systems, so check your journal’s figure requirements.
How do I add registers or other sources?
Registers go in the identification box next to databases, as in the default example. For websites, organisations or citation searching, load the “New review + other sources” template: it adds a second column (records identified, reports sought, not retrieved, assessed, excluded) that joins the included box, as the official template does.
Is my review data uploaded?
No. The diagram renders entirely in your browser, so search counts, exclusion reasons and anything else about an unpublished review stay on your device.