Publishing a Cochrane review is a team effort. We are here to help you at every stage.

Cochrane Groups

Cochrane Groups all over the world support authors to write reviews. This can include running searches, providing feedback on drafts or disseminating your evidence after publication. The support Groups provide can vary significantly; please contact the Group you are working with to clarify the support they offer.

Methods support and learning resources

Cochrane methods experts have developed guidance to take you through each step of writing a protocol and writing a review, which includes linked instructions and learning resources.

We also have a regular programme of webinars and tutorials that you can join:

• Our Learning Live webinars are hosted by experts and cover a wide range of systematic review topics.
• Our Methods Support Unit run regular web clinics. Sign up for future sessions and watch recordings or submit a question about your protocol or review.
• Our Methods and Statistics Tutorials are interactive and focus on common methodological and statistical issues in Cochrane reviews.
• Our methodology resources cover a wide range of topics, including network meta-analysis, risk of bias and many more.

Search support

If you are working with a Cochrane group, please contact the group to confirm whether they can support you to develop and run searches for your review.

If you are not working with a Cochrane group, you are responsible for preparing the searches for your review. Your author team should therefore include a qualified information specialist or librarian.

If these are not available to you, Cochrane's Central Study Identification Service may be able to help with:

• search strategy development and running searches, particularly if:
  • you are writing a commissioned review, a review associated with specific funding or a review with a deadline (e.g. informing a guideline development group meeting on a specific date);
  • you need help with an update search or a top-up search.
• resolving queries regarding your search strategy or results.

​If you are not writing a commissioned or funded review, you may be able to receive search support from the Central Study Identification Service on a paid consultancy basis. We may also be able to refer you to a list of freelance information specialists. Contact us to find out more.

Cochrane Crowd can help screen the search results for your intervention RCT-based review. Cochrane's Screen4Me service uses our Cochrane Crowd volunteer citizen scientists and machine learning to reduce the number of results for you to assess. Contact your Cochrane Information Specialist or get in touch with us for more information.

Software

• All Cochrane protocols and reviews are written in ReviewManager (RevMan), our online review development platform. Authors of Cochrane reviews are granted free access to edit their review in RevMan. Learn more about using RevMan.
• Covidence and GRADEpro interact with RevMan to streamline systematic review development.
• RevMan helps you to work smarter. Set up your synthesis criteria and analyses at protocol stage (for intervention reviews). Extract your study data using Covidence or using our customised templates. Import your data and RevMan will populate your analyses automatically.
• The Editorial Manager Knowledge Base includes all the key instructions that Cochrane review authors need to use Editorial Manager throughout the protocol and review process.

Our volunteers

Cochrane offers you an active global community of volunteers to help with your review. Visit Cochrane Engage to connect with people with a variety of skills and experience, who can help you with patient and public involvement, translation of studies that are potentially eligible for inclusion in your review, and other aspects of writing a review.

News and tips for authors

Opt in to Cochrane communications and sign up to our Author Digest to receive all the latest news for authors each month. View the Author Digest archive for a wealth of tips and updates.

Questions about your review?

Contact our author support team or your Cochrane Group at any time.