Who are Cochrane peer reviewers?

All Cochrane protocols and reviews are peer reviewed before publication, as recommended by the Cochrane peer review policy. Depending on the review topic, peer reviewers may include:

• clinical specialists
• methodologists
• statisticians
• consumers - patients, carers and family members with first-hand experience of the healthcare condition or treatment under discussion

What does Cochrane peer review involve?

Peer reviewers provide detailed feedback on a draft of a Cochrane protocol or full review. Depending on your area of expertise, you may be asked to comment on specific sections of the review. You will need to be a fluent reader and writer of English. Peer reviewing often involves intensive work for short periods for a single review, and you will need to meet the Review Group’s deadline for returning comments. Find out more about Cochrane’s expectations of peer reviewers in the section on Peer reviewer conduct in our peer review policy.

How can I sign up for Cochrane peer review tasks?

If you feel you have the time and skills to make the commitment to peer review for Cochrane, please sign up to join Cochrane Engage, our health evidence hub. Review Groups find new peer reviewers on Cochrane Engage, and also advertise peer review tasks. Please read our hints on how to complete your Cochrane Engage peer review profile, and search for relevant tasks.

If you do not feel you are able to commit your resources to peer reviewing at this time, please consider other ways you can contribute to Cochrane.