Whats new 28-05-2021
NEWSLETTER from the Cochrane Colorectal Group
Editorial Independence and Efficiency Project Cochrane is undertaking a project aiming to improve editorial independence and efficiency, and Cochrane Colorectal Group is part of the pilot here. This will from end of June 2021 change the way we work with protocols and reviews. Producing Cochrane Reviews to a high standard has always been challenging. Differences in how groups are funded, and how they can prioritize their workload, has the potential to create imbalances in Cochrane Review output, quality, and timeliness. In addition, Cochrane Review Groups (CRGs) have historically had dual roles – supporting authors and making editorial decisions. The longstanding author support role that CRGs have fulfilled can blur the lines between authorship and editorial review and sometimes makes it difficult to guarantee editorial independence. The significant investment of staff time and effort in developing a review is often not formally recognized and may also make rejection decisions more difficult. It has therefore been decided to change the structure quite dramatically for the workflow of manuscripts witnin Cochrane. The future setup will be, that the CRG will work with authors up to the submission of the protocol, review or updated review. These manuscripts will be submitted into a new editorial system (“Editorial Manager”), and from here all the next steps in the editorial process will be run by a central editorial service in London. You can read more details about the process on the website. The first five CRGs to join the pilot project have also been confirmed, and are:
Best regards Jacob Rosenberg, co-ordinating editor, Cochrane Colorectal Group |