2.2.2.3 Policy on withdrawing Cochrane Protocols and Reviews

The decision to withdraw a Cochrane Protocol or Review should generally be made between the co-authors of the Review and the editorial team of the Cochrane Review Group (CRG), and the reason for the withdrawal should be given in the Published Notes section of the Protocol or Review. The facility to withdraw a Protocol or Review is included in the software that CRGs use to submit their material for publication in each issue of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR). When a Protocol or Review is withdrawn, it will be flagged in the next issue of the CDSR as ‘withdrawn’ and only the title, coversheet and reason for withdrawal will be published.

A CRG may withdraw a Protocol and then remove it from the issue of the CDSR after which it was first withdrawn. However, a Review should never be removed from the CDSR, since review Abstracts are published in MEDLINE, where users are referred to the latest issue of The Cochrane Library for details of the current status of the Review. A Review may be withdrawn temporarily (suspended) and can be reinstated once it is considered satisfactory by the authors and the CRG's editorial team; otherwise it should remain withdrawn.

Reasons for withdrawing Protocols and Reviews from The Cochrane Library

Protocols

• The authors have requested this Protocol to be withdrawn. The reason/s is/are (GIVE LIST OF REASONS).
• The Protocol is out of date and does not meet the current methodological standards of The Cochrane Collaboration.
• Authors have made no progress with this Protocol in XX months/years. New authors are being sought to take over this Protocol.
• The Protocol has been republished as a Diagnostic Test Accuracy Protocol (GIVE FULL REFERENCE).
• The Protocol has been split into these Protocols (GIVE FULL REFERENCES).
• The Protocol has been merged with another (GIVE FULL REFERENCE).
• Title reassignment: A new Protocol will be published by the Review authors (GIVE NEW AUTHORSHIP).
• The Review Group was unable to maintain contact with the contact author. The co-authors are unable to take over this Protocol. New authors are being sought to take over this Protocol.

Reviews

• The Editor/CRG withdrew this Review as of Issue X, 20XX. The Review will be reinstated following a substantive update.
• Potentially relevant studies MAY HAVE been excluded from this Review and it has been withdrawn pending further investigation.
• The statistical analysis MAY HAVE BEEN inappropriate and this Review has been withdrawn pending further investigation.
• There MAY BE errors with data presentation and this Review has been withdrawn pending further investigation.
• Major errors in the Review have been identified (e.g. through the Feedback mechanism). These errors are: (LIST THEM). The Review will be re-published following revision and peer review.
• Non-compliance with the Cochrane Collaboration’s Commercial Sponsorship Policy.
• The Review has been combined with (STATE NUMBER) an/other published Cochrane Review(s)  and the new combined Review has been published as (GIVE FULL REFERENCE).
• The Review has been split into (STATE NUMBER) Reviews that will be/have been published as (GIVE FULL REFERENCES IF KNOWN).
• This Review is being updated and replaced following the publication of a new Protocol (GIVE FULL REFERENCE). It will remain withdrawn when the new Review is published.
• The Review has been republished as a Diagnostic Test Accuracy Review (GIVE FULL REFERENCE).
• The authors have requested this Review to be withdrawn. The reason/s is/are (GIVE LIST OF REASONS).
• Authors are unable to update the Review. This is one of the conditions for publishing the Review. New authors are being sought to update this Review.
• The Review has been withdrawn while the authors update aspects of its methodology (LIST THESE).