Free literature search protocol template
A reusable, reproducible PRISMA 2020 / MEDDEV 2.7/1 rev 4 search protocol — fill it in for your clinical evaluation, systematic review or PMCF. Download it free, or run it automatically with AutoSearch.
What's inside the template
- Review identification (title, reviewers, date, purpose: CER / PER / PMCF / academic SR / SOTA)
- Research question in PICO format (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome)
- Databases checklist (≥2 required for MDR) — PubMed, Embase, Crossref, OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov…
- Search strings table (database · query · date run · hits)
- Inclusion / exclusion criteria (dates, languages, study types)
- Screening & PRISMA 2020 flow counts, with recorded exclusion reasons
- Reproducibility checklist (re-runnable protocol, DOI verification, CSV / BibTeX export)
Why a documented protocol matters
EU MDR and MEDDEV 2.7/1 rev 4 require a systematic, reproducible and documented literature search — the same rigour PRISMA 2020 expects for academic systematic reviews. A written protocol makes your search defensible in an audit and repeatable for post-market follow-up (PMCF). This template captures every element a reviewer or Notified Body looks for.
From template to finished review — automatically
Filling the protocol is the easy part; executing it across databases, screening hundreds of records and documenting PRISMA is the slow part. AutoSearch runs the whole protocol for you — parallel multi-database search, recorded screening, a PRISMA 2020 flow, an evidence matrix and Crossref-verified DOIs (0 fabricated in our public benchmark) — in minutes, with an exportable screening log and BibTeX.