3.4.4.3 Registering with The Cochrane Collaboration

Having held a successful Formal Exploratory Meeting, the last stage in the establishment of the Field is to become registered with The Cochrane Collaboration.

The following describes the preparation of the application for Registration and the documenting of what has already been achieved, is being done, and has yet to be done in the key areas of a Field’s activity. This will entail:

• writing a search strategy for the CENTRAL and other relevant databases and regularly updating it
• identifying trials relevant to the Field
• producing a ranked listing of journals to be searched
• establishing contact with all relevant registered and probable Cochrane Review Groups
• drawing up a list of review topics relevant to the Field
• describing the proposed structure of the Field
• where possible, identifying people who might fill key roles in the Field
• obtaining sufficient resources to support the Field
• collecting letters of support from probable contributors and users (e.g. Review Groups, Methods Groups and other Fields)
• preparing the minutes of the Formal Exploratory Meeting
• drawing up a document defining the area of health care being represented
• drafting a covering letter to the Chair of the Steering Group of The Cochrane Collaboration responding to the points raised in the Checklist for registering a new Field (see Appendix 2: Monitoring and Registration Committee).