PRISMA 2020 Compliance Checker
Audit systematic review and meta-analysis manuscripts against the PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) 27-item checklist.
Workflow
- Read the full manuscript
- Confirm the study is a systematic review and/or meta-analysis
- Walk through each item below, including all sub-items
- For each item, assign: Reported / Partial / Missing / N/A
- Quote the relevant manuscript text as evidence
- Output a compliance summary + actionable fixes for Missing/Partial items
- Check for PRISMA flow diagram (strongly recommended)
PRISMA 2020 Checklist (27 Items)
Title and Abstract
| # |
Topic |
Requirement |
| 1 |
Title |
Identify the report as a systematic review |
| 2 |
Abstract |
Structured summary: background, objectives, data sources, eligibility criteria, participants/interventions, appraisal/synthesis methods, results, limitations, conclusions, registration number |
Introduction
| # |
Topic |
Requirement |
| 3 |
Rationale |
Describe rationale in context of existing knowledge |
| 4 |
Objectives |
Explicit statement of objectives or questions the review addresses |
Methods
| # |
Topic |
Requirement |
| 5 |
Eligibility criteria |
Inclusion/exclusion criteria and how studies were grouped for syntheses |
| 6 |
Information sources |
All databases, registers, websites, organisations, reference lists searched; date of last search for each |
| 7 |
Search strategy |
Full search strategies for all databases, including filters and limits |
| 8 |
Selection process |
Methods to decide inclusion: number of reviewers per record, independence, automation tools |
| 9 |
Data collection process |
Methods to collect data: number of reviewers, independence, processes for confirming with investigators, automation tools |
| 10a |
Data items — outcomes |
List and define all outcomes sought; whether all compatible results per domain were sought |
| 10b |
Data items — other variables |
List all other variables sought (participant/intervention characteristics, funding); assumptions about missing/unclear data |
| 11 |
Risk of bias assessment |
Methods to assess risk of bias: tool(s) used, number of reviewers, independence, automation |
| 12 |
Effect measures |
Effect measure(s) for each outcome (risk ratio, mean difference, etc.) |
| 13a |
Synthesis — eligibility |
Processes to decide which studies eligible for each synthesis |
| 13b |
Synthesis — data preparation |
Methods to prepare data for synthesis (handling missing statistics, conversions) |
| 13c |
Synthesis — display |
Methods to tabulate or visually display results |
| 13d |
Synthesis — statistical methods |
Methods to synthesise results with rationale; if meta-analysis: model(s), heterogeneity methods, software |
| 13e |
Synthesis — heterogeneity |
Methods to explore causes of heterogeneity (subgroup analysis, meta-regression) |
| 13f |
Synthesis — sensitivity |
Sensitivity analyses to assess robustness |
| 14 |
Reporting bias assessment |
Methods to assess risk of bias from missing results (reporting biases) |
| 15 |
Certainty assessment |
Methods to assess certainty in the body of evidence (e.g., GRADE) |
Results
| # |
Topic |
Requirement |
| 16a |
Study selection |
Results of search and selection, ideally with a PRISMA flow diagram |
| 16b |
Study selection |
Cite excluded studies that appeared to meet criteria; explain why excluded |
| 17 |
Study characteristics |
Cite each included study and present its characteristics |
| 18 |
Risk of bias in studies |
Present risk of bias assessments for each study |
| 19 |
Individual study results |
For all outcomes: summary statistics per group, effect estimate with precision (CI), structured tables or forest plots |
| 20a |
Synthesis results |
Briefly summarise characteristics and risk of bias among contributing studies |
| 20b |
Synthesis results |
All statistical syntheses: summary estimates with CI, heterogeneity measures, direction of effect |
| 20c |
Synthesis results |
Investigations of heterogeneity causes |
| 20d |
Synthesis results |
Sensitivity analysis results |
| 21 |
Reporting biases |
Risk of bias from missing results for each synthesis |
| 22 |
Certainty of evidence |
Certainty assessments for each outcome |
Discussion
| # |
Topic |
Requirement |
| 23a |
Discussion |
General interpretation in context of other evidence |
| 23b |
Discussion |
Limitations of the evidence |
| 23c |
Discussion |
Limitations of the review processes |
| 23d |
Discussion |
Implications for practice, policy, and future research |
Other Information
| # |
Topic |
Requirement |
| 24a |
Registration |
Registration name and number, or state not registered |
| 24b |
Protocol |
Where protocol can be accessed, or state not prepared |
| 24c |
Protocol amendments |
Describe and explain amendments to registration or protocol |
| 25 |
Support |
Financial/non-financial support; role of funders/sponsors |
| 26 |
Competing interests |
Declare competing interests of review authors |
| 27 |
Data/code availability |
Report availability of: data collection forms, extracted data, analytic code, other materials |
Critical PRISMA Elements
These are the items journals most commonly reject manuscripts for missing:
| Must-Have |
Why |
| Flow diagram (16a) |
Most journals will not review without one |
| Full search strategy (7) |
Reproducibility requirement; include as appendix if long |
| PROSPERO registration (24a) |
Increasingly mandatory; register before data extraction |
| Risk of bias table (18) |
Required for credibility; use RoB 2 or NOS as appropriate |
| GRADE or certainty (15, 22) |
Expected by top-tier journals |
Common PRISMA Gaps
| Frequently Missing |
Fix |
| Item 7 (Full search strategy) |
Append complete search strings for each database |
| Item 8 (Selection process detail) |
State number of reviewers, kappa/agreement, screening tool |
| Item 13d (Heterogeneity methods) |
Specify I-squared thresholds, random/fixed-effects model choice |
| Item 14 (Reporting bias) |
Add funnel plot + Egger's test or trim-and-fill |
| Item 16b (Excluded studies) |
List near-misses with exclusion reasons |
| Item 24a (Registration) |
Register on PROSPERO; if post-hoc, disclose it |
Output Format
PRISMA 2020 Compliance Report
Manuscript: [filename]
Summary: X/27 Reported | Y Partial | Z Missing | W N/A
CRITICAL MISSING (journal will likely reject):
[Item #] [Topic] — [What's needed]
OTHER MISSING:
[Item #] [Topic] — [What's needed]
PARTIAL ITEMS:
[Item #] [Topic] — [What's present] → [What's missing]
Flow diagram: [Present / Missing]
Registration: [Registered (ID) / Not registered / Not stated]
Related Skills
-
/manuscript — Overall manuscript writing and anti-pattern scanning
-
/meta-manuscript-assembly — Assemble tables, figures, references for meta-analyses
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