Guidelines and helping tools in the writing process
Once your title has been registered, you might find the following useful:
Guidelines
- Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions - the official guide to producing Cochrane reviews
- Cochrane Handbook for Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews - a team of authors and editors are working to prepare the handbook, but some chapters are already available.
- Cochrane Screening and Diagnostic Test Methods Group (SDMT) - training opportunities and guidelines/handbook for DTA authors
- MECIR guidelines - Methodological Expectations of Cochrane Intervention Reviews and Protocols
- Cochrane Style Guide - official style guide to authoring Cochrane reviews
- Guides to:
- Common errors and good practice
- Identifying comparisons
- Describing results
- Interpreting statistical significance
- How to GRADE the quality of evidence
- Incorporating GRADE findings
- Preparing a Summary of Findings table
- EQUATOR Network - collection of reporting guidelines with links to CONSORT (reporting of RCTs), PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses), STROBE (Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology).
- Re-publishing of reviews - explanation of procedures and permission form if you wish to re-publish your review in another scientific journal
Software
- GRADEpro - (GRADEprofiler) is the software used to create Summary of Findings (SoF) tables in Cochrane systematic reviews
- RevMan Web - is used to write Cochrane protocols and reviews
- Covidence - web-based 3rd party software for collaborative citation screening, study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction
Author training opportunities
Cochrane provides opportunities for training and learning in the methods required to write a Cochrane systematic review (https://training.cochrane.org/). Materials are available in a range of formats and cover both intervention reviews and reviews of diagnostic test accuracy studies. The resources are primarily designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the core methods used in most Cochrane reviews.
Training—face-to-face
Contact Cochrane Centres or Review Groups about local workshops and courses in review production. Some of these events are listed on the Cochrane workshops page.
Training—online
- Open Learning Materials - learn the steps in convenient online modules which supplement the Cochrane Reviewers' Handbook in helping you gain skills and complete your review.
- Cochrane Training Website - this site provides access to a range of resources to meet your training and support needs. Currently, the resources are mostly aimed at providing support to authors of Cochrane reviews and also to lay contributors. The resources include online modules, slide presentations, recorded webinars, information about Cochrane workshops all over the world, and links to essential handbooks and guidance.
Training resources provided by other organizations
- Undertaking Systematic Reviews of Research on Effectiveness - an extensive guide by the NHS Centre for Reviews & Dissemination