Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions

The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions is the official document that describes in detail the process of preparing and maintaining Cochrane systematic reviews on the effects of healthcare interventions. The current version of the Handbook is 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). It is available in various formats, as detailed below.

There is also a Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy.

Quick links

• What's new? [PDF]
• Available formats
• Updates and corrections
• Book version
• Glossary
• Supplementary material
• Previous versions
• Contacts

A summary of the changes in version 5.1.0 (March 2011) is available as a PDF . See these changes, as well as what was new in earlier versions, on the What's New page.

Available formats

• Browse the Handbook online

Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011] was uploaded in browsable format on March 21st 2011.  It should be cited as:

Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from www.cochrane-handbook.org.

Details of how to cite individual chapters are available at the end of each chapter.

• The browsable Handbook (version 5.1.0) is also available from the help menu in Review Manager 5.1 (software for composing Cochrane Reviews).

• Version 5.0.2 [updated September 2009] is available as a book: see below.

• Printable (PDF) versions of all Handbook chapters (Version 5.1.0) are available to members of The Cochrane Collaboration via Archie (under Handbook Editorial Advisory Panel in the Resources section). A full contents list for Version 5.1.0 is also available via Archie, as is an index to the Version 5.0.1, which should correspond well with Version 5.1.0 (except for parts of Chapters 8 and 11).

Updates and corrections to the Handbook

Updates and corrections to Version 5.1.0 that have not yet been implemented are listed here.

Book version of the Handbook

The Handbook was published as a hardback book by Wiley-Blackwell in September 2008, and reprinted with corrections in July and September 2009. The current book version corresponds to Version 5.0.2 of the Handbook.

• Wiley web site
• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com

The Cochrane Collaboration Glossary

Browse the Glossary of terms online

The Glossary was last formally updated in May 2005 (Version 4.2.5); and was updated informally during 2010.

The current formal version of the Glossary is also available as a PDF:

• The Cochrane Collaboration Glossary : Version 4.2.5, May 2005 [PDF] 383KB

Supplementary material

The browsable Handbook includes Appendix A: Guide to the contents of a Cochrane Methodology protocol and review

The following supplementary material is available for download.

Chapter 9: Analysing data and undertaking meta-analyses

• Statistical algorithms in Review Manager 5.1  August 2010 [PDF] 99KB

Chapter 11: Presenting results and 'Summary of findings' tables

• Considerations and recommendations for figures in Cochrane reviews: graphs of statistical data December 2003; updated February 2008 [PDF] 104KB

Chapter 13: Non-randomized studies

• Data collection form for non-randomized studies [Word] 81KB
• Newcastle-Ottawa scale for assessing quality of a cohort study [Word] 45 KB

Previous versions

• Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 4.2.6: September 2006 [PDF] 2.8MB
• Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.0.0: February 2008 [browsable]
• Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.0.2: September 2009 [browsable]

Contact email addresses for the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions

Julian Higgins (Co-Editor)
MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK
Email: julian.higgins@mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk

Sally Green (Co-Editor)
Australasian Cochrane Centre, Melbourne, Australia
Email: sally.green@med.monash.edu.au