Publication

The way evidence is published and presented on the Cochrane Library is vital to ensuring Cochrane evidence is used widely and effectively. The evolving needs of those who commission and use Cochrane evidence must be at the centre of our change process. Authors need the flexibility to innovate, and our publishing platform and systems must accommodate diverse types of evidence synthesis.

The Cochrane Library needs to convey credibility, transparency, and rigour, but must also be accessible. This balance is difficult to achieve with the current publishing format for Cochrane Reviews. To meet standards for reporting and transparency, reviews can be unwieldy, which places a significant burden on the editorial process and, crucially, the end user.

For example, the current structure for study characteristics is not fit for purpose, and lengthy text sections and appendices make review files difficult to navigate and digest. If we have an expectation that authors can find the right balance between being both succinct and comprehensive, then our guidance and systems must support their judgements.

To build on our reputation of producing high-quality evidence syntheses, Cochrane needs contributions from diverse author teams and the ability to collaborate with existing research initiatives. We must consider publishing pathways that are attractive to diverse author teams, working on evidence synthesis programmes relevant to our stakeholders. And we need to be able to publish diverse and innovative evidence syntheses products that those stakeholders need.

Interaction with stakeholders and users has taught us that they need clear, actionable messages, access to data and more detailed information kept separate from the main review. Moving to shorter, more journal-like format with a separation between the main manuscript and supplementary materials could allow Cochrane to deliver evidence syntheses that are easier for authors to produce, while supporting transparency and rigour. It would also lay foundations for future Cochrane Library developments to make our data more visible and attract new users.

Under the new model we aim to ensure that Cochrane’s published outputs are at the forefront of health and care evidence.