We welcome new review authors, and authors who have worked with us before.
New reviews
First steps
- It's important to check that your idea for a review will provide fresh evidence. Search the Cochrane Library to check for existing reviews in your area of interest.
- Cochrane is the leader in systematic reviews, due to our rigorous methods and research integrity. Look through our editorial policies and read about our methods in our handbooks to ensure that you will be able and willing to comply with them. Read about how our policies and methods are important factors in why our evidence is widely trusted.
- You need a team to write a Cochrane review. You can search for co-authors with the skills and expertise you need through our volunteer hub Cochrane Engage. At Cochrane, it is important to us to involve patients, their families or carers in our author teams, to help ensure our evidence is relevant, sensitive and patient-oriented. Read about involving patients in your review.
- In your review proposal, you will be asked to provide some information on studies that are eligible for potential inclusion in your proposed review. Do some preliminary research at this stage to help you answer this question.
- Think about the nature of the evidence and whether it is likely to change over time. Reviews with little or no data from completed trials and limited ongoing studies may not be prioritized for publication in the Cochrane Library unless they address high-priority questions. In cases where there isn’t a strong rationale to conduct a review with little trial data, you might consider alternative publication routes.
Write a proposal
A proposal is a document that provides structured information about the review you would like to write. You submit your research proposal by completing an online form in the Editorial Manager platform. To see the questions you will need to answer, preview the proposal form in the Editorial Manager Knowledge Base.
Resources to help you write the proposal
We offer many free resources to help you write your proposal. We recommend you start with:
- Introduction video 'What are systematic reviews?'
- Why do a systematic review?: Essential reading to understand the scope and requirements of a Cochrane review.
- Ten-minute micro-learning module on defining a review question and submitting a proposal
- Ten-minute micro-learning module on forming a great author team
- Browse our systematic review learning resources. You will need to sign up for a free Cochrane account to access some of them.
All done? Find out how to submit your proposal. Good luck!
If your proposal is accepted, find out how to write your protocol.
Update an existing review
If you have already published with Cochrane and would like to update your review, you will need to submit an update proposal and gain approval for your proposed update. You can preview the update proposal form and read more about the update process in Editorial Manager.
