PRISMA-ScR flow diagram for scoping reviews

Map how evidence entered your scoping review. This adapted diagram uses sources-of-evidence terminology and supports the selection reporting described in PRISMA-ScR.

Your scoping review diagram

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Include other sources

Diagram title

Databases and registers

Databases

Source 1

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Registers (optional)

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Removed before screening

Duplicate records

Records excluded by automation

Records removed for other reasons

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Identification via databases and registers

Records identified from: Databases (n = ?)

Records removed before screening: Duplicate records (n = 0) Automation tools (n = 0) Other reasons (n = 0)

Records screened (n = ?)

Records excluded (n = ?)

Reports sought for retrieval (n = ?)

Reports not retrieved (n = ?)

Reports assessed for eligibility (n = ?)

Reports excluded: None (n = 0)

Sources of evidence included (n = ?)

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Databases: missing count
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Records screened: missing count
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Records excluded: missing count
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Reports sought: missing count
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Reports not retrieved: missing count
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Reports assessed: missing count
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Reports included: missing count
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Sources of evidence: missing count
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Figure caption and citation

Figure: Scoping review selection flow. Adapted flow for reporting a scoping review using PRISMA-ScR. Page MJ et al. BMJ 2021;372:n71. doi:10.1136/bmj.n71. CC BY 4.0. Tricco AC et al. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:467–473. doi:10.7326/M18-0850.

Optional tool credit for your methods: Journal Metrics. PRISMA Flow Diagram Generator [Internet]. 2026. Available from: https://www.journalmetrics.org/prisma-flow-diagram

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What PRISMA-ScR asks you to report

PRISMA-ScR was published in 2018 for scoping reviews. Its selection-results item, item 14, asks authors to account for screened, assessed and included sources of evidence and explain exclusions, preferably with a flow diagram.

This editor offers an adaptation of the PRISMA 2020 diagram for that task. The four original PRISMA 2020 templates remain available on the template page. Selecting the ScR mode does not change the guideline into a new release.

Use “sources of evidence” for what the review includes

A scoping review may include research reports, policy documents, expert opinion or other material allowed by its eligibility criteria. “Sources of evidence” accommodates that range. A database or website is an information source you search; an eligible document found there is a source of evidence you may include.

Keep the search-entry counts at the screening stage and explain what one included source represents in your review. If several records point to one document, remove or explain that duplication. Do not relabel a database-search total as the final evidence total.

The terminology follows the footnotes in the official PRISMA-ScR checklist. Keep your own document identifiers alongside the counts.

Build the selection trail

Record where the evidence was found. List databases and registers, and enable other sources when the review also uses routes such as websites or citation searching.
Account for screening and retrieval. Deduplicate records, enter screening decisions and distinguish unavailable documents from assessed exclusions.
Explain eligibility decisions. Use reasons consistent with your review's population, concept, context and document criteria. Count each excluded source once in the primary-reason totals.
Check the included evidence. Reconcile the final source count with your evidence table and describe any overlap or special status explicitly.

In the worked scoping-review example, 1,200 identified records become 950 screened records, then 100 sources sought, 90 assessed and 30 included sources of evidence. The same numbers are available using the editor's example option.

Scoping-review questions

Is critical appraisal required to draw this diagram?: No. The flow describes selection. In the ScR checklist, critical-appraisal reporting is conditional on whether appraisal was done. The diagram does not decide whether appraisal is appropriate for your review.
Should the diagram include a meta-analysis box?: Only describe a synthesis you actually performed. The ScR mode uses an included-evidence endpoint and does not require a meta-analysis count.
Does the figure replace the ScR checklist?: No. Item 14 is one reporting item. Methods for choosing sources, charting data and presenting the evidence also need to be explained in the manuscript. Use the complete checklist.
How can I keep an editable copy?: Save the local project file for this editor and choose Word or SVG when you need to edit the figure elsewhere. The download guide explains each format. Browser drafts are tied to this device.

Sources and attribution

Journal Metrics provides an independent implementation of the PRISMA flow diagram. The original PRISMA 2020 templates are available under CC BY 4.0. Our editor adapts their layout and adds count checks; it is not endorsed by the PRISMA group.

Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021;372:n71.
Page MJ, Moher D, Bossuyt PM, et al. PRISMA 2020 explanation and elaboration. BMJ. 2021;372:n160.
Official PRISMA 2020 checklist and expanded checklist — use these to review the full manuscript.
Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, et al. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:467–473. See the official ScR checklist.

Content updated October 13, 2026. Count examples are illustrative.