Issue 10, January 2024

Welcome to the Author Digest

We hope you find it helpful.

This digest goes out to all active Cochrane authors and will continue to be sent to authors who are opted in. Please review your communication preferences in your Cochrane account and ensure you are opted in to communications.

Contents

1. Is your first draft due after April 1st 2024? Switch to the focused review format in RevMan now.
2. New subheadings in the focused review format
3. Help us keep improving the new focused review format - please spare 15 minutes 
4. Cochrane announces new policy on AI generated content
5. Meet the Evidence Synthesis Unit Assessment panel
   
6. Methods Support Unit web clinic
7. Next in the Cochrane Rapid Reviews & Learning Live webinar series
8. Covidence: new feature release in Extraction 1
9. Top Tips
   

1. Is your first draft due after April 1st 2024? Switch to the focused review format in RevMan now.

All new submissions (first drafts) submitted to Cochrane Central Editorial Service from 1 April 2024 must use the focused review format. 

If your submission deadline is after 1 April, please check your review is in this format.The RevMan Knowledge Base provides guidance on how to check a review meets any new requirements after the focused review format is enabled.

• For guidance on writing concise Cochrane Reviews in the focused review format, please open the Cochrane Review template as a practice review in RevMan.
• Before submission to Central Editorial Service, check each section in your review follows the template - this is particularly helpful if you are looking for information on how to populate the new required headings.
• Submissions which follow the template guidance are less likely to need major revisions, and will move more quickly through editorial and production.

If you have questions about the focused review format or template, please contact support@cochrane.org.

Sign up now for a webinar on 15th February to learn more about the focused review format template.

2. New subheadings in the focused review format

The focused review format includes additional subheadings in RevMan, focusing on areas such as “Consumer involvement” and “Equity assessment”.  These new subheadings align Cochrane Reviews with PRISMA 2020 reporting standards, with an emphasis on transparent reporting.

• If you are working on a new protocol or update that was started in the focused format, you should think about addressing these areas in your methods. The  focused review format template provides guidance on reporting.
• If you enable the focused review format in a review in progress, you do not need to revisit your findings, or re-analyse your data. The RevMan Knowledge Base explains how to check that any additional subheadings are handled correctly when you enable the focused format.  You may wish to report relevant activity. For instance, if you did not complete an equity assessment, you can state transparently that you did not do this; or you can leave the section blank. If the section is blank, the heading will not be published. You may see a RevMan warning related to any empty sections. This will not block submission.

The best way to check that you are adding the correct information to any protocol, review or update is to compare your work with the focused review format template, available as a practice review in RevMan.

For example, the template guidance in the “Consumer involvement” section explains clearly:
 “State whether or not consumers were involved in the review. If they were, review authors should report on their methods for involving consumers. If they were not, state this, along with any details that may be relevant."

The focused review template is regularly updated in response to author and editor feedback, so do get in touch with Cochrane Support if you have any questions or suggestions.

Sign up now for a webinar on 15th February to learn more about the focused review format template.

3. Help us to keep improving the new focused review format - please spare 15 minutes

We need your help to continue improving Cochrane’s review and data formats. As you may know, we have introduced a new streamlined processes in RevMan, simplifying reporting for authors, and enhancing the impact of our published reviews worldwide. We want to make sure these changes are working effectively and are user-friendly and simple to use. 

So, we are inviting members across our Cochrane community to take part in a short 15-minute survey before 29 February 2024 to give us feedback on the changes and help us prioritise the most useful areas next.

Find out more and access the survey here.

4. Cochrane announces new policy on AI generated content

Cochrane has introduced a new editorial policy addressing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in generating written content for its publications in response to the rapid emergence and adoption of AI writing tools. Our policy aligns with the guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the AI policy of our publisher, Wiley. In summary, the use of AI generated content is permitted under certain conditions, such as that AI tools cannot be credited as authors, authors bear full responsibility for the article's accuracy and validity, and a transparent and detailed description of the AI tools used is included. 

In a news item accompanying the launch of the policy, Cochrane has also summarised what makes for acceptable use of AI in review conduct and what's next for Cochrane in this area. Cochrane acknowledges the vast potential of AI for research development and publication, while recognising the unique challenges it presents. Any AI tools incorporated into our review processes must uphold the trust that users place in our evidence, so appropriate validation of these tools is crucial.

5. Meet the Evidence Synthesis Unit Assessment panel

Following our callout for applications to be one of Cochrane’s first Evidence Synthesis Units, we are pleased to announce the members of the independent assessment panel. The panel has begun assessing the submissions and the first new Units are expected to be announced in April 2024. Click here to learn more about the panel

6. Methods Support Unit web clinic

The MSU Web Clinic series got off to a flying start in 2024 with a session on ‘Updated guidance on how to interpret and assess imprecision with GRADE methods’ delivered by Leslie Choi, Evidence Synthesis Development Editor at Cochrane. 

The recording is now available. February’s web clinic will be at 9am UTC on 15th February 2024 and the topic will be ‘Introducing Cochrane’s Focused Review Format template: an essential tool for authors’. Sign up here.

7. Next in the Cochrane Rapid Reviews & Learning Live webinar series

Please join us on February 28 2024 for the next webinar entitled "How to do a rapid qualitative review", hosted by the Rapid Reviews Methods Group. These sessions are designed to provide you with a clear roadmap, helping you navigate the intricacies of rapid review methodologies. All sessions are freely open to everyone.

8. Covidence: new feature release in Extraction 1

Now you can add multiple intervention groups to a study while maintaining a link to template-defined interventions.

This feature helps accurately capture data when a study reports multiple groups per intervention.

Click here to learn more about this new feature!

9. Top tips for Cochrane Authors

Want to know more about supplementary materials in RevMan? 

Supplementary materials are generated for Cochrane Reviews from RevMan and each one must be cited in the main article using an internal link. They are displayed following a set order and most are automatically generated from the Data section of RevMan.

Click here to learn more.

Contact us

If you have any questions about any of the above items, please contact us at support@cochrane.org