2.2.2.1 Who is the audience for Cochrane Reviews?

The target audience for Cochrane Reviews are the people making decisions about health care. This includes healthcare professionals, consumers and policy-makers with a basic understanding of the underlying disease or problem.

It is a part of the mission and a basic principle of The Cochrane Collaboration to promote the accessibility of Cochrane Reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions to anyone wanting to make a decision about health care. However, this does not mean that Cochrane Reviews must be understandable to anyone, regardless of their background. This is not possible, any more than it would be possible for Cochrane Reviews to be written in a single language that is understandable to everyone in the world.

Cochrane Reviews should be written so that they are easy to read and understand by someone with a basic sense of the topic who may not necessarily be an expert in the area. Some explanation of terms and concepts is likely to be helpful, and perhaps even essential. However, too much explanation can detract from the readability of a Review. Simplicity and clarity are also vital to readability. The readability of Cochrane Reviews should be comparable to that of a well-written article in a general medical journal.