Project: Review Development Pipeline


Aims

The Review Development Pipeline project is fundamental to ensuring that evidence syntheses continue to be developed within Cochrane’s expert volunteer community as Cochrane transitions to the new model. The project aims to:

  • Create both short and long term approaches to secure submissions to a Centralised Editorial Service, reduce time to publication, and generate content that aligns with external stakeholder priorities.

  • Keep Cochrane viable during the transition from the old to new model by supporting the old development structure with Cochrane Review Groups, while also engaging with the new structure development structures including Thematic Groups.

  • Focus on high-priority, high-impact reviews, making it clearer to stakeholders that Cochrane is engaged in the ‘big’ health and social care issues.

  • Encourage and support development of different types and formats of Cochrane evidence to meet stakeholder needs.

What’s been happening?

  • Our team operates independently from the Editorial Service. To streamline the review process, we have brought on a commissioning editor who can identify high-priority reviews.

  • We are using a variety of methods, including looking at recently published protocols, consulting with guideline groups, and conducting surveys of UK groups who lost funding in 2022.

  • We have also met with Thematic Groups to determine how many reviews they currently have in progress. To support our teams, we have enlisted two evidence synthesis development editors who are working with various groups to develop their reviews.

  • We are exploring ways to provide support to more teams with less-intensive packages, such as review completion clinics.

  • The first reviews that have received support in this way now have been submitted to Editorial Service.

  • An information specialist will be joining the Central Study Identification Service to help with surveillance of evidence for priority reviews.

Milestones & timeline

  • Publication of the 30th Anniversary Special Collection. This will be updated as certain new or updated reviews publish in 2023.

  • We are using citation and usage data to prioritise updates in 2024.

  • We will be working to ensure that the Scientific Strategy influences reviews that Cochrane commissions and publishes in 2025 and beyond.

News

Publication of a series of high priority reviews to mark Cochrane's 30th year, is a key milestone for this project. We have created a ‘living’ special collection which houses these reviews as they publish.

Project lead

Toby Lasserson