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Welcome to the Author Digest, July 2026 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.
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Contents 1. Scoping survey of methodological development in multiple chronic conditions
2. Making our evidence more usable: study centric data
3. 2026 Methods Symposium registration now open!
4. Introducing Letters to the Editor
5. Get involved with Cochrane Clinical Answers (CCAs)
6. Recent update to the Cochrane review template: equity considerations and study centric data
7. Reminder: word limits are now in place
8. Covidence webinar: synthesis-ready data extraction
9. Top tips
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1. Scoping survey of methodological development in multiple chronic conditions
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We are asking for your participation in a survey related to implementation of Cochrane’s scientific strategy. Responses must be submitted by the extended deadline of 20 August 2026. Cochrane's 2025-2030 scientific strategy has four research priorities informed by global health data analyses (e.g., SDGs, GBD), extensive consultation with external stakeholders (e.g., WHO, PAHO), and the Cochrane community. This survey refers to one research priority - multiple chronic conditions - and specifically focuses on the methods element of this priority.
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Feel free to forward this link to colleagues who you feel may have relevant insights. If, after completion of the survey, you have further relevant ideas, please feel free to get in contact with us.
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2. Making our evidence more usable: study centric data
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In a recent Cochrane blog, we outlined how improving interoperability and adopting study centric data will transform the way evidence is created, shared, and reused. Our goal is to make the review process easier and more flexible for authors by reducing duplicate data entry, improving consistency, supporting more efficient review updates, and enabling more advanced analyses. Study centric data is designed to minimise barriers to keeping reviews and datasets up to date while creating a foundation for future tools and workflows that save authors time and effort. Your feedback is essential to ensuring these developments meet the needs of our the author community. By completing the survey, you can help shape the tools, guidance, and support that will determine how study centric data is implemented in practice. Currently, Cochrane expects authors of new intervention reviews to use study centric data, including for data underlying network meta-analyses. While development of the migration tool and the community feedback survey are ongoing, authors should refer to the RevMan Knowledge Base on study centric data, including the table on analysis scenarios.
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3. 2026 Methods Symposium registration now open!
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4. Introducing Letters to the Editor
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Over the coming months, Cochrane will begin transitioning from the current commenting functionality on the Cochrane Library to a more structured Letters to the Editor model for post-publication discussion. The aim is to create a clearer and more effective forum for scientific dialogue, enabling readers to raise questions, offer critiques, and discuss published evidence under appropriate editorial oversight. Letters to the Editor will provide a more visible, citable, and discoverable record of post-publication discussion while giving authors the opportunity to respond to substantive comments on their work.
Letters to the Editor will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure they add value to the discussion and contribute constructively to the evidence base. Not all submissions will be published. Where appropriate, authors of the original publication will be invited to respond, supporting a balanced and transparent exchange of views.
As an initial step, an interim Letters to the Editor process will be introduced from late August 2026, providing a formal route for post-publication correspondence while a longer-term solution is developed. We are aiming to create a sustainable, user-friendly model that supports meaningful engagement across the Cochrane Library.
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5. Get involved with Cochrane Clinical Answers (CCAs)
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Are you a practicing healthcare professional with strong clinical experience in neonatal care, cancer, respiratory medicine, or paediatrics? The CCA team is looking for individuals with expertise in these areas to collaborate as Associate Editors or Clinical Advisors.
In these roles, you will advise the CCA editorial team within your area of expertise and help shape concise, evidence-based answers to important clinical questions to support point-of-care decision-making. To apply, please send a brief CV outlining your current clinical experience. If you'd simply like to find out more, please get in touch.
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6. Recent update to the Cochrane review template: equity considerations and study centric data
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Cochrane's review templates contains essential guidance on conducting your review and reporting your findings. Review templates are updated periodically to ensure authors have clear and current guidance on best practice for Cochrane reviews. We therefore advise that authors always open the template as a practice review in RevMan to ensure you are always viewing the latest version. The review templates have been updated with clearer guidance for equity considerations and study centric data.
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7. Reminder: word limits are now in place
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8. Covidence webinar: synthesis-ready data extraction
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Join this webinar on 25 August to learn how to build structured, consistent, and collaboration-ready data extraction workflows in Covidence using the Extraction 1 tool. We'll cover creating and customizing extraction templates, organizing comparison groups and outcomes, using AI-assisted extraction suggestions, and exporting synthesis-ready data for analysis in RevMan. If you can't attend the live session, register anyway and you will receive a recording 48 hrs after the session. 👉 Book your spot here!
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9. Top tips for Cochrane Authors
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A reminder for Cochrane authors that RevMan author affiliations are defined on a review-by-review basis. So, if your affiliations change, please follow these instructions to update them in each Cochrane review you are authoring!
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