| Cochrane’s editorial and publishing policies can now be found on the Cochrane Library Editorial policies page. Cochrane authors and editorial teams should refer to the Cochrane Library as the primary source of information on this policy. For editorial guidance on policies the EPPR remains the primary location. |
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Cochrane Editors and editorial staff can author Cochrane Reviews ("Cochrane Reviews" includes protocols, reviews, and updates) published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. This includes when the Cochrane Review is part of the editor's Cochrane Review Group's (CRG's) portfolio. In line with the Best Practice Guidelines on Publishing Ethics: A Publisher's Perspective (second edition), the Editor or editorial staff member who is an author of the Cochrane Review submitted for publication via their CRG must:
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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.