As you complete your final database searches, you'll be downloading and managing potentially hundreds or even thousands of results. The most common recommended export format is RIS, although that's not the only one you may need (or prefer) to use. This box includes some examples of how this process works across various database platforms.
It is highly recommended that you save your exported reference files somewhere safe, even after importing them into a citation management or screening tool.
To export all results from a PubMed search, up to 10,000 citations, tap the Save button above your search results, choose All results, then choose PubMed format.
This will download a file in txt format, which can be imported into the citation management or screening tool of your choice.
To export all results from an Ovid MEDLINE search, up to citations, check the box at the top left of your search results labeled All. Then tap the Export link on the row above.
A box will pop up on the right of your screen. Wait for the information to load. When it's ready, you'll see Export Citation(s) at the top of the box. Make sure RIS format and Complete Reference are selected. Tap Export.
This will download the file of references, which can be imported into the citation management or screening tool of your choice.
To export more than 500 citations, you'll need an Elsevier account. First, tap the blue Sign in button at the top right of the page. If you don't have an account yet, enter your email address and follow the instructions to create an account.
To export all results from an Embase search, up to 60,000 citations, tap the drop-down menu labeled "Select number of items" at the top left of your search results list. Select the range of references you want to download. Once you've indicated the number of references to download, tap the Export link just above and to the right of the menu.
Choose RIS format, then tap Export.
A new tab will open in your browser. Tap the Download button when your RIS export is ready, then import the file into the citation management or screening tool of your choice.
To export all results from an EBSCOhost search, up to 25,000 citations, tap the down arrow next to the checkbox on the left end of the row above your results. Don't check the box! In the pop-up, choose Export results (Up to 25,000).
Enter your email address in the box, select RIS format, and tap Send.
You'll receive an email with a button allowing you to download the results. Tap download metadata. This will download a file in RIS format, which can be imported into the citation management or screening tool of your choice.
Brown subscribes to Covidence, one of the premiere tools for screening and data extraction in evidence synthesis. Since Covidence allows import of RIS or PubMed text files, you have the option of skipping a citation management tool and going directly to Covidence. If you prefer to use a citation manager as an intermediate step, Covidence will also import EndNote XML files, an export format option in both EndNote and Zotero. Learn more about using Covidence on the Screen References page of this guide.
Some researchers prefer to import results into citation management tools first. The Brown University Library supports two different options: EndNote, which can be downloaded via the Brown Software Catalog, and Zotero, which is an open source product. Learn more in our guides below.
Some researchers also prefer to deduplicate within a citation management tool first, before importing into a screening tool. Others skip the citation manager and let their screening tool perform the primary deduplication tasks.
Covidence has a robust deduplication process, so the latter is a good option. You can learn more about how Covidence deduplicates on the Screen References page of this guide.
Should you decide to deduplicate in a citation management tool:
In EndNote:
In Zotero
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