DistillerSR is a cloud-based systematic review management platform built by Evidence Partners, a Canadian company (Ottawa) focused on evidence synthesis software. It’s positioned squarely at the enterprise and regulated end of the systematic review market: pharmaceutical and medical device companies, health technology assessment (HTA) and health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) teams, guideline-development bodies, and public-sector agencies that need an auditable, validated record of every screening and extraction decision, not just a faster way to get through abstracts.
What DistillerSR does
DistillerSR covers the core review-management pipeline that sits between a finished literature search and a completed PRISMA-reported synthesis: title/abstract screening, full-text screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias or quality assessment, all run through configurable, form-based workflows rather than spreadsheets.
- Dual-reviewer screening and conflict resolution. References are routed to two independent reviewers against a customizable inclusion/exclusion form, with built-in conflict flagging and a resolution step when reviewers disagree — the same dual-screening logic Cochrane and PRISMA-aligned reviews expect, but tracked automatically instead of reconciled by hand.
- AI-assisted prioritization and classification. DistillerSR’s AI Re-Rank feature reorders the screening queue so references the model judges likely-relevant surface first, which the vendor describes as cutting screening time substantially for large reference sets. AI Classifiers can also auto-answer closed-ended screening questions and pre-label references, functioning as a decision-support layer a human reviewer still confirms rather than a fully automated screen.
- Smart Evidence Extraction (SEE). A generative-AI extraction feature that pulls data out of tables and free text in included studies at scale, supporting both fully automated extraction and a human-in-the-loop review step before the extracted data is accepted.
- Structured extraction forms. Like Covidence, DistillerSR builds extraction around configurable structured forms rather than free-text notes, which keeps the fields consistent across every included study and produces a table that can go straight into a results section or a Cochrane-style Summary of Findings table.
- PRISMA flow diagrams and reporting. The platform generates publication-ready PRISMA flow diagrams and standard reporting outputs directly from the screening and extraction record.
- Audit trail. Every screening and extraction decision is logged — which reviewer made it and when — producing a traceable record the vendor markets as supporting audit readiness for regulatory and guideline work.
- Evidence reuse (CuratorCR). A module that maintains a centralized, organization-level evidence repository and flags previously extracted data, aimed at avoiding duplicated extraction work when the same studies recur across multiple reviews or living-review updates.
Who actually uses DistillerSR
DistillerSR’s own positioning and marketing lean heavily toward organizations running evidence synthesis as a repeated, regulated business process rather than a one-off academic project:
- Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers producing systematic reviews to support regulatory submissions, clinical evaluation reports (CERs), post-market surveillance, and pharmacovigilance signal detection.
- HTA/HEOR teams and guideline developers who need a defensible, auditable trail behind the evidence base for a reimbursement dossier or clinical practice guideline.
- Public-sector and NGO evidence teams running recurring or living reviews that get updated as new literature is published.
- Academic researchers, including Cochrane review groups and students, for whom DistillerSR offers separate academic pricing.
This is a meaningfully different target audience than a single PhD student running one systematic review for a thesis chapter — the platform’s depth (audit logging, validated workflows, organization-wide evidence reuse) is built for teams running many reviews over time, and the pricing reflects that.
Regulatory and compliance positioning
DistillerSR markets its audit trail and traceability features as supporting the documentation standards that regulatory and HTA submissions require — every decision attributed to a specific reviewer at a specific time, with the full screening and extraction history retained. That’s a genuinely useful property for a pharmaceutical team defending a systematic review inside an FDA or EMA submission, or for a guideline panel that needs to show its work. It is worth verifying directly with Evidence Partners which specific compliance frameworks or validation standards apply to your use case and contract tier, since exact certifications and validation documentation are the kind of detail that changes by plan and by year and isn’t something to take on faith from marketing copy.
Pricing
Evidence Partners does not publish detailed pricing on its own site; it lists separate “Academic & Student” and “Corporate & Government” pricing tiers without public figures, meaning you need to request a quote directly. Third-party software review sites have reported per-user monthly pricing in the low hundreds of dollars for standard accounts, with discounted student and Cochrane Review Group rates. Treat any specific figure you see on a comparison or review site as a starting reference point rather than a quote — confirm current pricing with Evidence Partners directly, since enterprise systematic-review software pricing typically scales with reviewer seats, review volume, and support tier.
How DistillerSR compares to other screening tools
DistillerSR sits at the commercial, enterprise end of a screening-software landscape that also includes Covidence (widely used in academic and Cochrane-affiliated reviews), the free tool Rayyan, the UCL-built EPPI-Reviewer, and the open-source, machine-learning-driven ASReview. The practical differences come down to audience and depth: Covidence and Rayyan are generally faster to adopt for a single academic review team, while DistillerSR’s audit logging, CuratorCR evidence reuse, and enterprise workflow controls are built for organizations running many regulated reviews over time. For a full side-by-side across the major screening platforms, see Systematic Literature Review Tools: A Comparison Guide, and for a deeper look at the AI-assisted screening, extraction, and risk-of-bias features across this category specifically, see AI Tools for Systematic Literature Reviews.
If you’re still deciding whether your project needs a full systematic review at all, start with Literature Review vs. Systematic Review vs. Scoping Review before evaluating screening software.
Frequently asked questions
What is DistillerSR used for?
DistillerSR is used to manage the screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment stages of a systematic review, health technology assessment, or living review — primarily by pharmaceutical, medical device, HTA/HEOR, and guideline-development teams that need an auditable record of every reviewer decision.
Is DistillerSR free?
No. DistillerSR is a paid, enterprise-oriented product, though Evidence Partners offers discounted pricing for students and Cochrane Review Groups. It doesn’t publish standard pricing publicly; you request a quote directly from the vendor.
What’s the difference between DistillerSR and Covidence?
Both support dual-reviewer screening, conflict resolution, and structured data extraction. Covidence is generally positioned toward academic and Cochrane-style reviews with a simpler pricing structure, while DistillerSR leans further into enterprise features — audit trails built for regulatory submissions, an organization-wide evidence-reuse repository (CuratorCR), and validated workflows aimed at pharmaceutical and medical device review teams.
Does DistillerSR generate PRISMA flow diagrams?
Yes. DistillerSR generates publication-ready PRISMA flow diagrams and standard reporting outputs directly from the recorded screening and extraction history.
Who makes DistillerSR?
DistillerSR is made by Evidence Partners, a Canadian software company based in Ottawa that focuses on evidence synthesis and systematic review management software.
