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Synthesis review

#9 of 28 in Literature Review Software

A comprehensive desktop workflow for searching, screening, managing, and synthesizing literature.

8.5/10Editor score
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Synthesis8.5 Visit Synthesis

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Synthesis is desktop literature review software for researchers and organizations conducting scoping, systematic, and regular reviews. It is designed for academic research universities, hospitals, government agencies, private corporations, and nongovernmental organizations. The workflow covers discovery, reference importing, deduplication, PDF retrieval and viewing, title and abstract screening, full-text inclusion and exclusion, structured data collection, analysis, and bibliography export. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it suited to teams that prefer a desktop application across major operating systems.

Its strongest fit is a review process that needs research discovery and screening in one workspace. Synthesis provides embedded searching across PubMed, PubMed Central, IEEE, arXiv.org, and US Patents, while also supporting imports from Ovid, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and ACM. Automatic reference deduplication helps organize imported records, and integrated PDF viewing with automated downloading keeps full-text management close to the screening workflow. Dual-reviewer workflows and kappa-score calculation add structure for teams conducting formal screening, while custom columns support consistent extraction and collection of review data.

For synthesis and organization, the software adds topic clustering, word clouds, metadata extraction, automatic tagging, charting, and export in CSV, RIS, and bibliography formats. AI features are also included. According to the vendor, orders and downloads are temporarily suspended while a new release is being developed, so organizations should account for that availability status before selecting the product. Synthesis is a strong choice for researchers who want broad database connectivity and a comprehensive desktop workflow; teams prioritizing continuously available downloads or a browser-first collaboration model should consider alternatives.

Synthesis pros and cons

  • Where it wins
    • Searches major databases and imports bibliographic records
    • Combines PDF management, deduplication, and multi-stage screening
    • Supports dual reviewers, kappa scores, and structured data collection
  • Where it doesn't
    • Orders and downloads are temporarily suspended during new-release development
    • Contact-sales pricing requires a conversation with the vendor
    • Desktop workflows may not suit teams seeking a browser-first review platform

Synthesis fact sheet, pricing and score →

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