Amendments

Amendments

All post-publication corrections need approval from the Deputy Editor in Chief and Head of Editorial Policy and Research Integrity. To request an amendment, please email support@cochrane.org with the following information:

  • Review title 
  • Manuscript number of previous published version in Editorial Manager (if applicable)
  • Type of amendment: with or without new citation. Check Dates and events to determine if your amendment needs a new citation.
    •  In general, a new citation is required for all changes other than minor text or formatting errors that do not impact the data or review findings or interpretation.
    • Authors' Declarations of interest and License for publication forms are also required for an amendment with new citation. 
  • Have all requisite changes been made in RevMan for this amendment (adding the correct What’s New event or events, with relevant description)?
  • Are there any deadlines associated with publication of this amendment?

Amendment with no new citation (Cochrane Support only)

Cochrane Library

  1. Check date of last citation version. If before 28 April 2023, download RevMan5 file from Cochrane Library. Make a note on the support ticket requesting amendment and attach the file to the ticket.
  2. Check licence type of last citation version (see 'Information' section on the Cochrane Library). Make a note on the support ticket. You can also complete this check in RevMan (see below 3b.) 

RevMan

  1. Open an Amendment project in RevMan to open the review for editing
    1. If another project is already open in RevMan, pause and consult with Publishing Operations Manager
  2. Revert to the last published version
    1. If a correction is needed to the protocol and the review is at review stage in RevMan, adjust the stage via the RevMan portfolio view: locate review > Change review properties > Stage > Protocol.
  3. Make all required corrections in RevMan OR send the dashboard link to the authors and ask authors to make corrections and let you know when done
    1. Add an Editorial note if needed
    2. Add Amended What's New event
      1. Move any previous What's New events to the History
  4. Check if the author byline and/or affiliations have changed since the last published version (run a compare or compare with the Cochrane Library)
    1. Reinstate previous byline and/or affiliations 
      1. Previous authors can be moved to Author Support in RevMan portfolio during publishing
    2. Note the licence type of previous publication (visible in RevMan when you view the previous published version) on the support ticket requesting the amendment.
  5. Submit current version in RevMan to download submission files

Editorial Manager

  1. Log in to CEMD with an editor role (Cochrane Support role)

  2. Select Submit (see Cochrane Author Guidelines) on top toolbar

  3. Select *No New Citation - Editors Only > Next

  4. Enter the title
  5. You will show as the only author - no changes are needed > Next
  6. Add the PDF Manuscript file from RevMan (downloaded at step 4 above) > Next 
  7. Build PDF for my approval > Editorial Submissions in Progress
  8. View Submission (if you have added an Editorial note, confirm that it displays correctly in the PDF below the byline and citation) > Approve Submission
  9. Submit and Set Final Disposition to Accept > Proceed > Confirm Accept and Proceed > Send > OK
  10. Confirm Editorial lock is activated on RevMan dashboard
  11. Go to All Submissions with Final Disposition Accept > 
  12. Specify in the Production Notes:
    1. No copy edit required.
    2. Amendment to correct (reason for amendment); OR Amendment to add Editorial note.
    3. RevMan5 file to be carried over: Yes | No
    4. Licence type on previous publication: Green OA | CC-BY | CC BY-NC | CC BY-NC-ND
  13. In the License for publication field, select the same licence type as for the previous published version (see step 3b above)
  14. Initiate Production > Proceed > Proceed Without Selecting a Task
  15. You have now sent the amendment for publication without License for publication forms or copy edit
  16. On publication the amended status will show on the Cochrane Library

  17. Make a note on the related Support ticket if the RevMan version or byline needs readjusting following publication

Amendment with new citation

Cochrane Library

  1. Check date of last citation version. If before 28 April 2023, download RevMan5 file from Cochrane Library. Make a note on the support ticket requesting amendment and attach the file to the ticket.
  2. Check licence type of last citation version (see 'Information' section on the Cochrane Library). Make a note on the support ticket. You can also complete this check in RevMan (see below 3b.) 

RevMan

  1. Open an Amendment project in RevMan to open the review for editing
    1. If another project is already open in RevMan, pause and consult with Publishing Operations Manager
  2. Revert to the last published version
  3. Check if the author byline and/or affiliations have changed since the last published version (run a compare or compare with the Cochrane Library)
    1. Reinstate previous byline and/or affiliations 
      1. Previous authors can be moved to Author Support in RevMan portfolio during publishing
    2. Note the licence type of previous publication (visible in RevMan when you view the previous published version) on the support ticket requesting the amendment.

Editorial Manager

  1. Locate the published protocol or review in Submissions with Final Disposition > Accept. If you cannot locate the previous published version of the review you wish to amend in Editorial Manager, please contact support@cochrane.org for assistance.
  2. Solicit commentary. 
  3. Pre-Select Article Type for Invited Submissions generated from this Submission select article type Amendment
  4. Invite Author from the Action menu and search for the Corresponding Author. 
  5. Choose Assignment email ​​​​​​​Amendment assignment - new citation and/or LfPs
  6. Customize the assignment email to confirm if authors will make corrections and resubmit, or if you will make changes on the author's behalf. If you are making changes on the authors' behalf, the email lets the authors know they should expect automated notifications regarding submission, Declarations of interest and Licence for publication forms.
  7. You have the option to copy co-authors into the assignment email. 
  8. If you need the authors to make changes to the review contact Support to open and Amendment project in RevMan.
  9. Add relevant What's New Events in RevMan (if these are not added before submission, Validation errors will prevent the authors submitting). You should add two What's New events:
    1. Amended
    2. New citation (conclusions changed or not changed, as applicable) - see Assigning What’s New events to Cochrane Reviews
  10. Wait for the Corresponding Author to submit the revised version to EM. You may proxy as Corresponding Author to submit the revised version, if you prefer.
  11. All authors must be added to the submission to ensure the correct notifications are triggered for Declarations of interest and License for Publication forms.

Request Declarations of interest

  1. When the submission comes in, use the Initiate CoI Disclosure Retrieval link on the Details screen to ask the authors to declare relevant interests in Convey. 
  2. Await author submission of CoI disclosures; all authors must disclose before moving to the next step. 
  3. Evaluate the CoI disclosures and update the Declarations of Interest section in RevMan Web as needed.

Select License for publication and move to production 

  1. Locate the submission in RevMan and view the last published version on the History to confirm the License type for the previous published version.  
  2. Open the submission Details in Editorial Manager and check the License for publication field. Select the same licence type as for the previous published version. 
  3. If you would like the authors to make further revisions, submit Editor's Decision and wait for the authors to resubmit.
  4. When the final version is ready, Submit Editor's Decision > Accept and follow the process to Initiate Production. 
  5. Specify in the Production Notes:
    1. No copy edit required.
    2. Amendment to correct (reason for amendment); OR Amendment to add Editorial note.
    3. RevMan5 file to be carried over: Yes | No
    4. Licence type on previous publication: Green OA | CC-BY | CC BY-NC | CC BY-NC-ND
  6. The submission will then follow the production process without copy editing or proofreading. 
  7. The submission will publish when authors have submitted all License for publication forms. 
  8. On publication, the amended status will show on the Cochrane Library.