What is a Cochrane review?
A Cochrane review is a systematic, up-to-date summary of reliable evidence of the benefits and risks of healthcare, intended to help people make practical decisions.  Cochrane reviews adhere to a structured format that is described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.
 
Expectations of review teams

By agreeing to join a review team preparing a Cochrane review, authors accept responsibility for preparing, maintaining and updating the review in accordance with Cochrane policy.

When your title has been agreed it will be registered with the Group and you will receive an information pack from us. The CRG will ask authors to complete a Declaration of interest form when the review title is registered. If you are based in the UK or Ireland and have not conducted a systematic review before we strongly recommend that you attend the training courses run by your local Cochrane Centre. If this is not possible then we will try to provide you with support from a Cochrane expert.

A draft protocol must be submitted to the CRG within three months of title registration and full review with 12 months of protocol publication. If drafts are not submitted before the agreed deadlines, or if we are unable to contact you for an extended period, the CRG has the right to de register the title or transfer the title to alternative authors. The CRG has the right to de register or transfer the title if it does not meet the standards of the CRG and/or Cochrane. Members of review teams who are not actively contributing to the development of the review may be asked to step down and new review authors sought, after discussion between the contact author and the editorial base of Cochrane Neuromuscular.
 
Information for authors 

All authors are encouraged to read the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and to complete the Cochrane Interactive Learning modules before starting a review or an update. 

Review teams are responsible for ensuring that their review is complaint with the relevant Cochrane conflict of interest policy: 

• Conflict of Interest Policy for Cochrane Library Content (2020) (applies to new reviews and updates initiated after October 14 2020)
• The Commercial Sponsorship Policy applies to reviews and updates ongoing before October 14 2020

Writing the protocol for the review

This is the first stage and should describe the rationale for the review; the objectives; and the methods that will be used to locate, select and critically appraise studies; and to collect and analyse data from the included studies.
 
We ask that you submit your protocol within three months of title registration. It will be peer reviewed by at least three referees including topic and statistical experts and consumer representatives. We are likely to return the protocol to you for revision approximately eight weeks after submission, but aim to do so earlier if possible. 
 
After you have made any necessary amendments your protocol will be copy edited, then included in the next issue of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews published in The Cochrane Library.
 
Moving on to the review stage

When your protocol has been accepted for publication we will conduct a search of our specialised register of trials, and other databases such as MEDLINE and EMBASE and provide you with details of relevant studies.
 
Using the methods detailed in your protocol you will then assess, select and critically appraise the studies you have identified. The results are presented as a summary of the data extracted from the included studies. This may or may not involve using statistical methods (meta-analysis).
 
We ask that a review is completed within 12 months of the protocol being accepted for publication. The review will be peer reviewed according to the same procedure as the protocol and returned to you for revision. After you have made any necessary amendments and copy editing your review will be included in the next issue of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews published in the Cochrane Library. The first author will receive a complimentary copy of the Cochrane Library for as long as this review remains up to date.

We have also produced some guidance on choice of outcome measures for authors working on reviews of diabetic neuropathies.

But that's not all...

It is essential that your review is kept up-to-date. In accepting responsibility for writing a Cochrane systematic review you enter into a commitment to keep it up-to-date; by either revising it when new data become available or identifying someone else who will take on the task. There is also a procedure through which you will be informed of comments made on your review by readers which may necessitate you making amendments to the review. For information on updating your review please see our Updating Policy. 

Paper publication of reviews

We encourage the publication of paper versions of Cochrane systematic reviews in paper journals. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disorders, Clinical Rehabilitation, the Journal of Neuroepidemiology, and Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry have in the past agreed in principle to publish such reviews. The paper version is usually very different in format but should always refer to The Cochrane Library review (and vice versa). Permission for publication in paper journals has to be sought from John Wiley and Sons, Ltd, the publishers of The Cochrane Library, but will not be unreasonably withheld.

Overviews of reviews

Overviews or reviews summarize multiple Cochrane intervention reviews addressing the effects of two or more potential interventions for a single condition or health problem. In the absence of a relevant Cochrane intervention review, Cochrane overviews may additionally include systematic reviews published elsewhere.
The Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group plans to prepare overviews of reviews and has prioritized a list of important overviews.

Podcasts

Podcasts are now part of the Cochrane concept. The Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group will consider producing podcasts of key reviews. These will be simple podcasts of about four minutes in length, approximately 400 words long.

Feedback

Authors of reviews who receive feedback or a comment on their review through the 'Feedback' facility on The Cochrane Library are required to address the comment within three months and reply to the criticism editor of the group. Once the criticism editor is satisfied that the authors have satisfactorily responded to the comment, both the comment and response will be published with the review. If the review requires significant changes in the light of such comments, it will be subject to the same editorial process as an updated review.

 The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews has an continuous publication model, where reviews and protocols are published when they are ready. All Cochrane Reviews (including protocols and updates) submitted for publication within the calendar month and up to 2200GMT on the last day of the calendar month will be included within the monthly issue.