February 2022 (next issue April 2022)

In this issue

1. Vote on your new methods representative for the Cochrane Council.
2. Announcing a day with Equity Methods Group on 27 April 2022.
3. New editorial and methods role in the Cochrane Central Team.
4. Upcoming events and opportunities to get involved in, including webinars on statistics and qualitative evidence synthesis, and online conferences.
5. New resources include 'first-look' chapters from the new Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy and webinar recordings on qualitative evidence synthesis. 
6. Meet Barbara Nußbaumer-Streit from Rapid Reviews Methods Group.
7. And much more!

Your top highlights

1) Vote on your new methods representative for the Cochrane Council 

Voting is now open with two candidates standing: Cinzia Del Giovane and Carole Lunny. Personal statement and how to vote is available here. Voting closes on 20 February 2022.

2) Announcing a day with Equity Methods Group on 27 April 2022

Celebrate all things equity with the Equity Methods Group. There are chances to get to those involved, live sessions on equity, diversity and inclusion, free access to training, and much more. Full details and how to register here.

3) New editorial and methods role in the Cochrane Central Team

Applications are open until 27 February for a Systems and Product Development Editor. The successful candidate will provide editorial and methods leadership and ensure editorial and methods strategy is reflected in Cochrane products, processes and technology.

Events and opportunities

Upcoming

10 February: NMAstudio: a fully interactive tool for network meta-analysis with the Statistics Methods Group. Open to all, free to attend.

10 February: Cochrane Methods Support Unit web clinic with a focus on developing your implications for research section. For Cochrane authors, editors and staff, free to attend.
21-23 February: Online workshop on systematic reviews and meta-analysis of prognosis studies with the Prognosis Methods Group. Open to all, course fee applies.

21-24 February: Evidence Synthesis and Meta-Analysis in R (ESMAR) Conference. Open to all, free to attend.

24 February: Thematic synthesis hosted by Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Open to all, free to attend.

27 February: Applications close for the Systems and Product Development Editor role in Cochrane's Evidence Production and Methods Team.

10 March: Cochrane Methods Support Unit web clinic with a focus on common errors in summary of findings tables. For Cochrane authors, editors and staff, free to attend.

17 March: Meta-ethnography hosted by Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Open to all, free to attend.

24 March: Quantiles of the marginal and conditional dose-response relation based on weights mixed-effects models with the Statistics Methods Group. Open to all, free to attend.

14 April: Cochrane Methods Support Unit web clinic with a focus on defining your review question (with Statistics Methods Group). For Cochrane authors, editors and staff, free to attend.

25 April: GRADE CERQual hosted by Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Open to all, free to attend.

27 April: A day with Equity Methods Group. Open to all, free to attend.

16 May: Integrating qualitative evidence syntheses with intervention effect findings hosted by Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Open to all, free to attend.

25-27 May: Course on network meta-analysis, Biarritz, France, with leads from Comparing Multiple Interventions Methods Group. Open to all, course fee applies.

Can you help with methods-related tasks? Browse TaskExchange for opportunities (tip! Filter by your specific skills). For more information on signing up and using the platform, see the instructions.

New resources

1) Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy (version 2), led by the Screening and Diagnostic Test Methods Group, released Chapter 2 (planning a Cochrane Review of diagnostic test accuracy), Chapter 5 (understanding test accuracy statistics) and Chapter 6 (Defining your review question). Available for individual Cochrane members for personal use only, Cochrane account required for access. 

2) Selecting studies and assessing methodological limitations hosted by Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Recording now available.

3) Making sense of framework and best fit framework synthesis hosted by Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Recording now available.

Other news

1) A new Cochrane Methodology Review published on monitoring strategies for clinical intervention studies.

2) A second Cochrane Methodology Review from Equity Methods Group and colleagues published on effects on health equity assessed in systematic reviews of interventions.

3) Tianjing Li (Comparing Multiple Interventions Methods Group - network meta-analysis) appointed as Co-Chair of the Cochrane Methods Executive, joining fellow Co-Chair Joanne McKenzie (Statistics Methods Group).

4) Research integrity: making sure medical trials reported in the scientific literature are real.

Meet Barbara Nußbaumer-Streit of the Rapid Reviews Methods Group

1) What's the aim of the Methods Group and who else is involved?

The Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group aims to better inform ‘rapid review’ methodology. We conduct empirical studies to develop sound rapid review methods and provide guidance on rapid review conduct. The Group is led by Convenors Declan Devane (Ireland), Chantelle Garritty (Canada), Gerald Gartlehner (Austria), Chris Kamel (Canada), Valerie King (USA), Adrienne Stevens (Canada) and myself, along with Associate Convenors Candyce Hamel (Canada) and Lisa Affengruber (Austria).

2) What do you do outside of the Methods Group?

I am co-Director of Cochrane Austria and researcher at the Department for Evidence-Based Medicine and Evaluation at Danube University Krems, Austria. My research focuses on methods development in the field of evidence-based medicine and conducting systematic reviews. I also teach at several universities in Austria.

3) What's your favourite thing about Cochrane?

The opportunity to work with and learn from people from all over the world and across different disciplines. I especially like how approachable everyone is - whenever you need advice on specific methods, with dissemination, or translation, you find a helping hand within Cochrane.

4) If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you take and why?

Family and friends – together, everything is more fun. If I am only allowed to take one thing, then I would take my cell phone – to stay connected with the world.

Find out more about the Rapid Reviews Methods Group:

●    Visit the Methods Group’s website

●    Read the Methods Group’s 2021 spotlight on report

●    Join by selecting the Methods Group in the Methods Network webform