Systematic Reviews

Authors should write and register a protocol outlining the review methodology.

Registering a protocol:

• helps avoid duplication of similar reviews
• ensures transparency and reproducibility
• decreases the chance of reporting bias by enabling comparison of the registered protocol to the completed review
• increases the likelihood that a systematic review will be successfully completed

According to Cochrane,

"a protocol outlines the question that the review authors are addressing, detailing the criteria against which studies will be assessed for inclusion in the review, and describing how the authors will manage the review process. Protocols contain information that defines the health problem and the intervention under investigation, how benefits and harms will be measured, and the type of appropriate study design. The protocol also outlines the process for identifying, assessing, and summarizing studies in the review. By making this information available the protocol is a public record of how the review authors intend to answer their research question."