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What is a Systematic Review Protocol and How to Register it

Dr. Nancy Agens, Head,

Technical Operations, Pubrica

sales@pubrica.com

In Brief

A systematic review protocol describes the

rationale, hypothesis, and planned

methods of the review. The protocol

should be prepared before a systematic

review is being started, and it is used as a

guide to carry out the systematic review.

A detailed protocol should be developed

prior writing, made publicly available,

and registered in a registry such as The

Cochrane Collaboration, The Campbell

Collaboration, PROSPERO, The Joanna

Briggs Institute, and The BEME

Collaboration.

I. INTRODUCTION

A systematic review protocol describes

your hypothesis and the planned

methodology. The authors use the protocol

as a guide to conduct the research studies,

and it is recommended to register your

protocol before conducting your review

which will improve transparency and

reproducibility but will also ensure that no

other research teams duplicate your efforts.

The protocol sets out in advance along

with the methods to be used in the review

to minimize bias. The systematic review

protocol should specify the review

question to be investigated, and the

background section should explain the key

factors as well as provide justifications for

the review.

The systematic review protocol should

also mention the methodological process

which will be used to identify the research

evidence, research studies for inclusion,

data extraction for included studies, quality

assessment for included studies, synthesis

results, and disseminate the findings.

Fig 1. Systematic Review Protocols

In cases, the author needs any modification

to the protocol, and protocol amendments

should be documented and justified.

II. HOW TO REGISTER A

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOL?

The author can register your protocol with

the below-mentioned organizations, all of

which provide a set of instructions in

preparing a protocol for submission

The Cochrane Collaboration

The Campbell Collaboration

PROSPERO

The Joanna Briggs Institute

The BEME Collaboration

Every protocol registration process will

have a set of reporting guidelines

MECIR (Methodological

Expectations for Cochrane Intervention

Reviews) Manual

Instructions on reporting

protocols for Cochrane

Intervention reviews

PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting

Items for Systematic Reviews - Protocols)

For systematic review

protocols

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III. THE COCHRANE

COLLABORATION

The Cochrane Collaboration is the other

primary organization which administer the

conducting of a systematic review, and the

work is internationally recognized as the

benchmark for high-quality information

about the effectiveness of health care. The

organization mission is to produce high-

quality, relevant, and accessible systematic

reviews by promoting evidence-informed

health decision-making and other

synthesized research evidence.

Subject Areas:

Healthcare

IV. THE CAMPBELL

COLLABORATION

The Campbell Collaboration is one of the

two major primary organization which

administer the conducting of a systematic

review, as it promotes positive social and

economic change and other evidence

syntheses for the evidence-based policy

through the production of systematic

reviews.

Subject Areas:

Business and Management

Crime and Justice

Disability

Education

International Development

Knowledge Translation and

Implementation

Methods

Nutrition

Social Welfare

V. PROSPERO

PROSPERO is an international systematic

review registered in health and social care,

and their key features are recording the

systematic review protocol and

maintaining the database permanently.

Subject Areas:

Crime and Justice

Education

Health and Social Care

International Development

Public Health

Welfare

VI. THE BEME COLLABORATION

The Best Evidence Medical Education

(BEME) Collaboration is the international

organizations (individuals, universities and

professional), who are dedicated to the

advancement of evidence-based education

in the medical and healthcare professions

BEME’s aims are achieved through the

dissemination of information for decision-

making, the production of systematic

reviews, and the creation of a culture of

evidence-based education.

Subject Areas:

Medicine

Healthcare

Protocol Template: Systematic Review

(obtained from

http://dal.ca.libguides.com/ld.php?content

_id=14681285)

Review title: __________________________________

_____________________________

1. Background

I. Important characteristics

What are the vital

population or disease

characteristics

(epidemiology,

diagnostic criteria,

aetiology, prognosis)?

II. Relevance

Does the review topic

have important

implications for health

(individual or public),

as well as health care,

policy and research?

III. Rationale

Does the evidence

(including existing

systematic reviews)

fail to answer the

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review question, and

why?

IV. Justification

Is the need for the

review justified in the

light of the potential

health implications

and current limitations

of the evidence base?

V. Specification

What are the PICO

elements of the review

question/objective?

2. Methods

I. Search strategy

Which

electronic

databases will

you search?

What are your

key search

terms?

What other

sources will you

search?

II. Selection criteria

What are the

inclusion/exclusion

criteria?

Will you impose any

additional limits,

such as language,

publication type,

study design?

How will the study

selection be

performed?

III. Quality assessment

What are the

criteria used to

assess

methodological

quality?

How will the

quality assessment

be performed?

IV. Data extraction

What are the

essential data to

be extracted?

How will data

extraction be

produced, and

how will

extracted data be

presented?

V. Data synthesis

How will data be

combined, and

why?

What are the

potential resources

of effect

heterogeneity, and

how will they be

assessed?

3. Process

Required resources to conduct a systematic

review, and are they available?

Relevant expertise

Computing facilities

Research databases

Bibliographic

software

Statistical software

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How will the findings of the review be

disseminated?

Target audience

Publication type

Communication

media

4. Timetable

The draft protocol for internal

review

Protocol for external review

Searching and study selection

Data extraction

Quality assessment

Draft report for peer review

Submit for publication

Completion date: Lead reviewer:

In summary, a systematic review protocol

illustrates the theory and the planned

methodology of a review, and it is

recommended to register before

conducting a review to avoid and ensure

duplication of your efforts as well as to

improve the transparency and

reproducibility. There are several registries

available for registering the protocol and

make sure to read all the detailed

guidelines before submission.

REFERENCE

1. Sharon Straus et al., Registering systematic reviews,

CMAJ. 2010 January 12; 182(1): 13–14. DOI:

10.1503/cmaj.081849

2. Campbell Library. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2019,

from

https://campbellcollaboration.org/library/campbell-

systematic-review-templates.html

3. Stewart et al., Why prospective registration of

systematic reviews makes sense Systematic

Reviews 2012, 1:7 DOI: 10.1186/2046-4053-1-7

4. https://guides.library.cornell.edu/evidence-

synthesis/protocol

5. https://www.nihlibrary.nih.gov/services/systematic-

review-service/systematic-review-protocols-and-

protocol-registries

6. http://dal.ca.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=1468

1285

7. http://www.cochrane.org/

8. https://www.campbellcollaboration.org/library.html

9. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/

10. http://joannabriggs.org/

11. http://www.bemecollaboration.org/