“This will create a better experience for authors” – an interview with Juan Franco from the Governing Board

Juan Franco started as a Cochrane author in 2015, before becoming a Geographic Group Director in 2017 and then Contact Editor for the Urology Group in 2018. In 2020 he was elected as a member of Cochrane’s Governing Board. Here, he explains the need for some of the changes being introduced and his hopes for the future of Cochrane.

Juan thanks for talking to us. For those who don’t know, can you explain a little about your background and your area of expertise?

 “My background is actually in family medicine, but now I’m working as a researcher and managing editor for the Cochrane Metabolic and Endocrines Disorders Group at the Heinrich-Heine-University in Germany. I started as a Cochrane author in 2015, then became Geographic Group Director in 2017 and then Contact Editor for the Urology Group in 2018. In 2020 I was elected as a member of Cochrane’s Governing Board and last year I moved to Germany for this new editorial role, although I have continued working on the development of Cochrane reviews as an author for several Cochrane Review Groups.”

 Why do you think it’s important for Cochrane to move with the times and change its processes and ways of working?

 “While there is an exponential growth in the number of systematic reviews in other journals, Cochrane reviews are still the gold standard for their high-quality and independence. However, Cochrane needed to become more agile and streamline review production to provide timely reviews to the people who use them – guideline developers, policymakers, clinicians and members of the public. Moreover, a new review format will make Cochrane reviews more accessible to readers and will increase their impact. Cochrane is, of course, also moving towards Open Access and Open Science - which is the future!”

“Cochrane is, of course, also moving towards Open Access and Open Science - which is the future!”

 What do you hope the changes will mean for authors?

 “Ideally, this will also create a better experience for authors, with more unified criteria for feedback and clearer turnaround times for revisions and editorial decisions (“time-to-decision” as we call it in publishing). One special thing about Cochrane is that historically, unlike any other traditional journal,  authors have received help preparing their reviews. In our new model, the editorial process will be centrally managed and follow the best practice of the publishing industry, but authors will still be supported prior to manuscript submission. So, not only does Cochrane provide a potential path to publication, but it also provides capacity building and a career path. It’s a win-win for authors and Cochrane.”

“This will create a better experience for authors, with more unified criteria for feedback and clearer turnaround times for revisions and editorial decisions”

 As Cochrane celebrates its first 30 years, what are your hopes for the future?

 “I expect Cochrane to continue to be the leader in the field of systematic reviews, providing timely evidence for decision-making. We want to improve the health of people with good evidence about not only what works, but also what doesn’t work in healthcare. That means that we will prioritise the topics with the greatest impact and potential to offer benefit. Even if in some cases, these topics may be controversial. Cochrane doesn’t shy away from complexity and we bring our perspectives independent from conflict of interest to our reviews - these are core features of Cochrane’s work of the past and the future. I am also hopeful that our community can grow to be even more diverse, promoting equal opportunities for the participation of people in multiple roles, regardless of their gender, first language, country of origin, or other personal characteristics. One of the principles I like most about Cochrane is ‘building on the enthusiasm of individuals’, which relates to the topic of diversity.”