Request for Proposals for the Cochrane Register of Studies released

In late June 2009, the Steering Group released the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of the new Cochrane Register of Studies (CRS).

The CRS has the potential to revolutionise the way we assemble CENTRAL (the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), the Collaboration’s repository of references to trial reports. CENTRAL is updated by combining the data contained in entities’ specialised registers, together with records from
other bibliographic databases such as MEDLINE and EMBASE, and is the primary reference source for authors of Cochrane systematic reviews.

Based on the report of the CENTRAL Vision Group, informed by our experience of operating the ‘interim measures’ for the assembly of CENTRAL, and guided by considerable consultation, the RFP seeks proposals to deliver a new online system for entities to manage their specialised registers, and from which the data for CENTRAL will be aggregated. Crucially, the new system will house both studies and reference‐based records in the same database, and will make the aggregation process simpler and more efficient.

Should you have any queries about the RFP process, please contact Lucie Jones at the Register’s designated email address registerofstudies@cochrane.org. Updates will be communicated to the Collaboration in due course. [The deadline for receipt of proposals was 31 July 2009].

Lucie Jones, Secretariat