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- ensure that another Editor or member of the editorial staff takes on these roles. Practically this process should be administered by another member of the same CRG editorial team. If this is not possible, contact the Network Associate Editor.
then ask a member of another editorial team (e.g. another CRG or the Cochrane Editorial & Methods Department).
If the Contact or Sign-off Editor(s) are selected from within the same CRG editorial team, it is essential they are independent; for example, it is not appropriate for someone to be a Contact or Sign-off Editor if an author of the review is their line manager. If in doubt, the Sign-off Editor for the review should be someone from another editorial team as agreed with the Network Associate Editor(e.g. another CRG or the Cochrane Editorial & Methods Department).
A brief summary of the process followed should be included in the 'Declarations of interest' section of the Cochrane Review to let readers know that this potential conflict of interest has been addressed.