Every time you volunteer with Cochrane, you earn points towards your membership.

Collaboration is at the heart of Cochrane. We offer Cochrane membership to everyone who contributes to our work. Membership is our way of saying thank you for everything you do to help us improve healthcare.

Benefits of Cochrane membership

• Recognition: Cochrane membership is a valuable addition to your CV or career portfolio. It demonstrates a widely recognized commitment to evidence-based medicine.
• Representation: Members help shape Cochrane’s future. Members can vote in our elections, get involved in how we are run and have a say in setting our strategy.
• Personal development: Cochrane membership is a great way to gain new skills and extend your experience in the scientific community.
• Cost savings: Members receive a 45% discount on our renowned 'Conducting a Systematic Review' course and a 10% discount on RevMan, our systematic review and meta-analysis software.

Video: Cochrane Membership (1 minute)

How Cochrane membership works

Cochrane membership is based on points. Whenever you volunteer your time to support us, you receive points. For example, when you work on Cochrane Crowd, you receive 1-2 points per record that you screen. When you provide feedback on a Cochrane review based on your lived health experience, you earn 500 points. When you publish a Cochrane review, you gain 3,000-5,000 points. Points expire after 12 months.

You will receive a 1-year membership when you reach 1,000 points. When you earn 3,000 points, you will receive a 3-year membership, and when you gain 5,000 points you will receive a 5-year membership. When your membership ends, it will be automatically renewed if you have at least 1,000 points.

"I became a Cochrane member by volunteering for tasks posted on Cochrane Engage. This opportunity has helped me collaborate with researchers across the globe and given me access to invaluable training resources."

Jacqueline Thompson, UK

Start earning points towards Cochrane membership

If you don't already have a Cochrane account, you can sign up for free.

Sign up for a Cochrane account

See how you can volunteer and earn membership points.

Every member must agree to our membership Terms and Conditions. This includes confirming that you do not work for a pharmaceutical or medical device company, for conflict of interest reasons. You can keep track of your contribution and points record in your Cochrane account.

"I obtained and have maintained my Cochrane membership since 2018 by screening over 3500 records on Cochrane Crowd. As a physician-in-training in India, I value my Cochrane Membership as a demonstration of my personal commitment to evidence-based medicine early on in my academic career. It also provided me with lower-cost access to Cochrane training in conducting systematic reviews."

Ahmad Ozair, India

Add a contribution to your record

Our membership system automatically captures many contributions to Cochrane’s work, including publications, peer review and tasks completed in Cochrane Crowd, Cochrane Engage and Phrase. To let us know about any additional volunteering you have done for Cochrane, please use this contribution form so that we can update your record. You will need to sign up for a Cochrane account or log in to your account.

"When I started studying medicine, all my professors and colleagues were talking about the Cochrane Community. I set myself a clear aim, I will be in the Cochrane Community: a Cochrane Member. I earned membership by volunteering for tasks on Cochrane Engage. Membership is even greater than I thought, I feel like I am part of a magnificent medical knowledge factory!"

Zain Douba, Syrian Arab Republic

Contact us

If you have any questions about Cochrane Membership, see our Contact us page.