How a review develops in a collaborative review group ...

The Review Author contacts the Cochrane Collaborative Review Group relevant to his or her area of interest and /or the systematic review they wish to undertake. Following discussion with the Coordinating Editor and Managing Editor, he or she decides upon an appropriate title.  The review author can check to determine the titles that have already been registered by authors interested in developing a review and also determine the reviews that have recently been completed here.

The Title
The reviewer completes and returns the Title Registration Form which asks for basic information, including: the population, the intervention, the proposed comparison(s) and the main outcomes of the proposed review. The title is circulated to members of the Cochrane Collaboration (Fields, Networks, international centers and other collaborative review groups) to guard against possibility of overlap.

The Protocol
Following title registration, the reviewer begins work on a protocol. The protocol is probably the most important aspect of a review. The completed protocol will provide the template that will guide the completion of the review and subsequent updates. It is the protocol that ensures transparency and accountability. Feedback from the editorial board of the review group is supplied at each draft, with specialist statistical advice brought in where necessary. Publication of the protocol on the Cochrane Library follows approval by the Groups editorial board, feedback from two External Referees and final approval by the Coordinating Editor.

The 7 steps of preparing and maintaining a systematic review
(Outlined in the Cochrane Handbook)

1. Formulating a problem 2. Locating and selecting studies 3. Critical appraisal of studies 4. Collecting data 5. Analyzing and presenting results 6. Interpreting results 7. Improving and updating reviews

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