Systematic reviews cannot be performed alone. One investigator is not sufficient to reduce the risk of bias in the review process.
It is essential that Cochrane reviews be undertaken by more than one person. This ensures that tasks such as selection of studies for eligibility and data extraction can be performed by at least two people independently, increasing the likelihood that errors are detected.
- Cochrane Handbook version 5.1, 2011, section 2.3.4.1
The objective of organizing the review team is to pull together a group of researchers as well as key users and stakeholders who have the necessary skills and clinical content knowledge to produce a high-quality SR.
Standard 2.1 Establish a team with appropriate expertise and experience to conduct the systematic review
Required elements:
- Include expertise in the pertinent clinical content areas
- Include expertise in systematic review methods
- Include expertise in searching for relevant evidence
- Include expertise in quantitative methods
- Include other expertise as appropriate
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Finding What Works in Health Care: Standards for Systematic Reviews, chapter 2, 2011.
See the further resources page for links to more in-depth resources on these steps.
What is a protocol?
Why write a protocol?
Why publish a protocol?
Guidance on writing a protocol
Sharing/publishing protocols