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Welcome to the January Core Staff digest. In this digest, you will find important information about the focused review format, the new AI policy, and upcoming events and webinars. We hope you find it helpful.
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Contents - Are you supporting authors whose first submission is due after 1st April? Switch to the focused review format now
- New subheadings in the focused review format
- Help us to keep improving the focused review format - please spare 15 minutes
- Governing Board meeting, 9th January 2024
- Cochrane announces new policy on AI generated content
- Next in the Cochrane Rapid Reviews and Learning Live webinar series
- Methods Unit Support web clinics: Introducing Cochrane's Focused Review Format template
- Meet the Evidence Synthesis Unit Assessment panel
- New PhD launched in Austria: Applied Evidence Synthesis in Health Research
- Accepted proposals: November - January
- Wellbeing
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1. Are you supporting authors whose first submission is due after 1st April? Switch to the focused review format now
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If you are supporting authors with a submission deadline after 1 April 2024, now is the time to enable our focused review format in RevMan. All new submissions (first drafts) submitted to Cochrane Central Editorial Service from 1 April 2024 must use the focused review format. Please note, no author who is completing the editorial process within a Cochrane Review Group (CRG) should change the format of their review. 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 direct authors to the Cochrane Review template - authors should open the template as a practice review in RevMan
- If you are checking authors' drafts before submission to Central Editorial Service, check each section in the 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 or any authors have questions about the focused review format or template, please contact support@cochrane.org. Sign up now for a webinar on 15 February to learn more about the focused review format template.
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2. New subheadings in the focused review format
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The focused review format includes additional subheadings in RevMan, focusing on areas such as “Consumer involvement” and “Equity assessment”. Cochrane encourages authors to consider these areas in Cochrane Reviews but they are not mandated; it is for author teams to decide. These new subheadings are to enable complete and transparent reporting on whether or not they were part of the methods. - 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, and report whether or not they are included. 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 methods, findings, or re-analyse your data. If you did not include consumer involvement or equity assessments in your review, please state this in the relevant Methods sections and leave the Results and Authors' conclusions section blank so these sections are omitted from the published review. You may see a RevMan warning related to any empty sections, but this will not block submission. The RevMan Knowledge Base explains how to check that any additional subheadings are handled correctly when you enable the focused format.
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 15 February to learn more about the focused review format template.
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3. Help us to keep improving the focused review format - please spare 15 minutes
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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.
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4. Governing Board meeting, 9th January 2024
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The Governing Board met (virtually) on 9 January 2024. This meeting was added to the schedule to allow time to focus specifically on Open Access. The agenda for the meeting held in December 2023 included, among other things, approval of the strategy for 2024-2027 and the budget and operational plan for 2024, so there wasn’t time to have a full discussion about Open Access. Read the full news item here.
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5. Cochrane announces new policy on AI generated content
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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. The future in this area is potentially very exciting and Cochrane will continue to explore acceptable applications of AI tools while balancing that with upholding research integrity and transparency standards. The new policy can be found here.
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6. Next in the Cochrane Rapid Reviews and Learning Live webinar series
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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.
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7. Methods Support Unit web clinics: Introducing Cochrane's Focused Review Format template
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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.
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8. Meet the Evidence Synthesis Unit assessment panel
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9. New PhD launched in Austria: Applied Evidence Synthesis in Health Research
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10. Accepted proposals: November - January
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View proposals accepted from 19 November 2023 to 18 January 2024. In this period 35 proposals were accepted. Author teams of 11 accepted proposals are being supported by a group and 24 author teams are working independently. This information will be updated monthly.
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Cochrane Book Club The Cochrane Book Club meets on the last Wednesday of the month and the theme for the January 31st session is Hidden Gems - we're thinking unusual/out-of-print/obscure books. It is a no pressure, fun, friendly 30 minute chat to discover some great reading recommendations. Contact Muriah for more information and a calendar invite. You can also join the CET books Slack channel.
What's coming up at Cochrane? Check out the events page here. Cochrane's core staff are communicating on Slack - join us! Cochrane is using Slack, an online collaboration and chat platform, to encourage communication between members of our core community. Find out more here.
Have good wellbeing advice or mood boosting tips? Add them to the CET Wellbeing Slack channel or let us know.
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