Here you can find and download a variety of information and support materials to help you develop your new Cochrane review.
Review Timeline
The completed review is due to be submitted 12 months following publication of the protocol. Cochrane Neonatal reserves the right to de-register the title or transfer the title to a new author if these deadlines are not met.
Where do I work on my review?
Reviews are written using RevMan (https://revman.cochrane.org). Information on using RevMan is availble here (https://training.cochrane.org/online-learning/core-software/revman).
Cochrane Methods
The Cochrane Handbook contains detailed information about all methodology related to conducting a Cochrane Review: https://training.cochrane.org/handbook. The Handbook is available as a web document, and individual chapters can be downloaded if you have a Cochrane account.
Cochrane Style Manual
The Style Manual provides information on how to format all aspects of a Cochrane review (https://community.cochrane.org/style-manual). For quick tips, see Style Basics (https://community.cochrane.org/style-manual/cochrane-style-basics). For references see (https://community.cochrane.org/style-manual/references).
Literature Searching
Literature searching requires a specialised set of skills and we advise the inclusion of an experienced Information Specialist or Medical Librarian as an author on your review (Schellinger 2021, Beverley 2003) to increase transparency and accountability; and to improve reporting and reproducibility of search methods in your review. Cochrane Neonatal has provided methodological filters for use in searching for Neonatal reviews (/Literature-Search-Filters-for-Neonatal-Reviews). The Cochrane Neonatal Group may be able to provide search support--please inquire by contacting our group's Information Specialist or Managing Editor (/our-team).
Methodological Expectations of Cochrane Intervention Reviews (MECIR)
The Cochrane Collaboration’s Methodological Expectations of Cochrane Intervention Reviews (MECIR) project has developed two sets of standards for the conduct (e.g. methodology) and reporting (writing) of Cochrane reviews of interventions. When developing your protocol (and subsequent review) please refer to these standards.
GRADE and Summary of findings table
In your full review you will need to implement the GRADE approach; and use GRADEpro to assess the quality of the evidence and prepare a Summary of findings (SoF) table(s) to import into your review. Information about Summary of Findings can be found in Chapters 11 and 14 of the Cochrane Handbook. The Cochrane Consumers and Communication group has produced two helpful resources for creating Summary of findings tables and for understanding the GRADE approach. Additionally, Cochrane Training has a series of webinars on GRADE.
Where do I find out about training workshops and other sources of support?
Please visit Cochrane Training to sign up for in-person author training workshops or to participate in online learning to help you develop your protocol and review. It is also important that you make contact with the Cochrane Center in your region to enquire about the support they can offer you as a Cochrane author and to register for training workshops to help you develop your protocol and review. Cochrane authors can also access a suite of online learning resources for undertaking a systematic review.
Other useful documents
- Further guidance on assessing quality according to the five GRADE criteria for RCTs.
- Incorporating GRADE in Cochrane reviews (feedback from the CEU review quality screening programme which gives useful examples of how to report GRADE findings in your Abstract, PLS, Results/effects of interventions and Discussion/quality of the evidence sections).
- Information about how to re-express SMD (information relating to reporting continuous data (from Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth)).
Other Resources
- Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy Group
- Predatory journals - This is a list, created in an effort to identify characteristics of potentially predatory journals. This list is not all-inclusive, but the authors note that it is a good place to start (Shamseer 2017).
- Undertaking Systematic Reviews of Research on Effectiveness - an extensive guide by the NHS Centre for Reviews & Dissemination
- Using Individual Patient Data
Rejection Policy
Cochrane Neonatal can reject a protocol or review at any stage before publication. Please see the Cochrane Policy on the rejection of Cochrane Reveiws for more information.
1Ovelman C, Eckert C, Friesen C. Validating Cochrane Neonatal’s standard search databases: is it okay to stop searching Embase? Advances in Evidence Synthesis: special issue. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020; (9 Suppl 1): [320] https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD202001/full.