Philosophy Spectrum

Three screening philosophies

Generous (Recommended for abstract screening)

"When in doubt, include." Casts a wide net to minimize the chance of missing relevant papers. Higher sensitivity, more papers to review in full-text.

Balanced

Apply criteria as written. The AI uses your criteria without additional bias toward inclusion or exclusion.

Strict

Only include papers that clearly meet every criterion. Lower sensitivity but fewer papers to review. Best used for full-text screening where precision matters more.

Our recommendation

Use Generous for abstract screening and Balanced or Strict for full-text screening. Abstract screening should cast a wide net, and full-text screening is where you apply precision.