The Cochrane team responds to some key author questions

The team at Cochrane is working on several ways to improve the author journey. We caught up with Rachel Craven (Head of Cochrane Library), Rebecka Hall (Product Owner: RevMan), Rachel Klabunde (Cochrane Support Manager), and Ella Flemyng (Editorial Product Lead) to get answers to some of the key questions that authors have been asking.

Why is 2023 a landmark year for Cochrane?

Rachel Craven: Cochrane was founded in 1993 and in the last 30 years has grown into a global network of volunteers working to produce gold-standard evidence syntheses, published in the Cochrane Library. Over those 30 years, we’ve been doing things in the same way and during that time the field has evolved. To maintain our place as one of the world’s leaders in producing trusted evidence, we are making some big changes in 2023 to the structure of the organisation and the way we produce reviews. 

How are Cochrane reviews changing this year?

Ella Flemyng:  We are making it easier for authors to produce Cochrane reviews. Cochrane’s methodological and editorial standards are high and we are proud of that. We stand out from our competitors in consistently producing excellent systematic reviews, but we need to learn from other scientific publishers too.  

Reviews will be shorter. Users of evidence are best served by a more focused article. This also makes writing and updating reviews simpler as you don’t need to make changes in multiple places. The main body of the review will contain sections that we know are most useful to users of Cochrane evidence: such as the Plain Language Summary, Abstract, Summary of Findings, Methods and Results. Other parts of the review – the Characteristics of studies and Appendices, for instance – will become supplementary materials. Supplementary materials will still be visible on the Cochrane Library and will open in a new browser tab adjacent to the review. This change will make Cochrane reviews more accessible and digestible for readers. This change will also speed up the editorial and production processes. More details about these changes will be shared in the coming months. 

With a shorter review, we are moving the structure to where it’s needed most: the data. This change is powered by moving to study-level data management in RevMan Web (also referred to as study-centric data), which comes with a host of benefits for authors. By improving the structure of data associated with Cochrane reviews, we can increase their impact by making it easier for policy makers, guideline developers, and others to reuse our evidence. 

The shorter review with more structured data will result in a better experience for authors, with the reassurance that fewer words do not equate to lower standards. The process of producing Cochrane reviews will be more efficient, facilitating living reviews and unlocking the potential for innovations in how we tailor our evidence for key stakeholders.  

Will authors still use RevMan to produce reviews?

Rebecka Hall: Yes. All Cochrane reviews are now available to edit in our flagship online review production software, RevMan Web. We are retiring the desktop version of RevMan (RevMan 5) on 25 April 2023. If you are still using RevMan 5, please check in your review, uninstall RevMan 5 and start using RevMan Web. To get going, watch our 5-minute YouTube tutorial for authors using RevMan Web. 

Will I see any changes in RevMan this year?

Rebecka Hall:  Yes. RevMan will change to reflect the changes we are making on the Cochrane Library. You will see parts of the review like the Characteristics of studies and Appendices in a new ‘supplementary materials’ section. You will also notice that some standard headings have moved and new subheadings have been added – like a new ‘Consumer involvement’ section which showcases the importance of public and patient involvement in Cochrane reviews.  

I’ve heard that authors can now use study-centric data in RevMan – what does this mean?

Rebecka Hall:  The study-centric data workflow enables authors to structure all data around studies rather than analyses. This means, result data can be re-used for several analyses and covariates can be used to include/exclude results in a more structured way than before. We have seen that authors that used the new workflow minimized transcription errors and were guided to think more critically about the structure of their analyses earlier in the process.  

What does this mean for sharing and reuse of Cochrane Review data?

Rachel Craven:  With the launch of RevMan Web for all Cochrane Reviews on 25 April 2023, it will be possible to download all available data files associated with a Cochrane Review in standard, non-proprietary formats via the Cochrane Library. 

This will facilitate a more effective reuse of Cochrane Reviews, as well as increased visibility and discovery for research data, and improved transparency and reproducibility. It is the start of Cochrane’s journey towards FAIR principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse of digital assets) for Cochrane content. 

A new data package containing all downloadable files for the review’s analyses data will be available via the ‘Download statistical data’ option on published Reviews on the Cochrane Library.  The downloadable files are more granular: the package includes not only the analyses data, but also other data associated with the review, including the included study data (study characteristics, study arms and study results), risk of bias data and the Review references. The dataset will also now be available in standardized formats such as CSV and RIS, rather than the Rev Man 5 Cochrane proprietary format. 

I’ve heard that the Cochrane Review Group I work with will be closing. Who can I contact if I have questions about my review?

Rachel Klabunde: Cochrane’s funding arrangements and organisational structure are changing and all Cochrane protocols and reviews will now be submitted to our Central Editorial Service for peer review and production. If you have any questions about your review, please contact the Cochrane Support Helpdesk at support@cochrane.org and the Cochrane Support team will point you in the right direction. 

I have submitted my draft to the Central Editorial Service but I have some specific questions about the content of my review. I would like expert guidance from a topic or methods expert – who can I contact?

Rachel Klabunde: We are piloting new Thematic Groups which will bring together communities of expert volunteers in a topic area. Similarly, some review authors could benefit from support that the Methods Support Unit can provide. Please contact the Cochrane Support Helpdesk at support@cochrane.org to find out if there is a Thematic Group related to your area of interest or if the Methods Support Unit can provide you with methods support. 

I have been using RevMan for reviews that are not Cochrane reviews. Can I continue to do that when RevMan 5 is no longer available?

Rebecka Hall: Yes. RevMan Web is available for all reviews either at a low subscription cost, for free or a discounted price depending on your situation. Read more on the RevMan Web site.