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Why is the Comments process changing?
The new Comments Support ticketing system enables better tracking of Comments’ status and any dialogue relating to Comments.
The aims of this change are to separate the publication of a Comment (which should aim to happen as soon as possible after the Comment is received) from any other actions, such as publishing a response or amending the review that was commented on. The main change in the new process is that publication of Comments will no longer be done using RevMan/Archie, but directly on the Cochrane Library by the Comments Support team in the Editorial & Methods Department, on behalf of Cochrane Review Groups (CRGs).
Please note that the decision whether to publish a Comment remains with the CRG.
When does the new Comments process start, and what should I do?
For any new comments received from Monday 23rd November, once you have decided that you would like the comment published on the Cochrane Library you should respond to the Comments Support team via the support email that you have will received.
Will the Comments Support team moderate the Comments submitted to the Cochrane Library?
Incoming comments will continue to be moderated by the Comments Support ream, and then forwarded to the CRG for consideration. The moderation is mainly to filter out spam messages.
See: Process for dealing with submitted comments
How will my Review Group receive Comments?
Managing Editors and Feedback Editors will receive information about a new Comment via an email from the Comments Support team. Replying to the email and its associated Support ticket will be the main route of communication between the CRG and Comments Support team.
How long should it take to publish a substantive Comment?
If you decide that a substantive Comment should be published on the Cochrane Library, you should aim to publish it within three weeks of its submission.
How will the Comment be published?
Once you have told the Comments Support team that you want the original Comment published, the Comments Support Team will then publish it on the Cochrane Library, and notify you via the same Cochrane Support ticketing email once this is done.
When the Comment is published the comment contributor receives an automated notification.
How should an author or CRG submit a response to a Comment published on the Cochrane Library?
Responses to the original comment should be submitted as new comments using the Commenting system from the review on the Cochrane Library, making sure to clearly indicate which Comment is being responded to; for example, by addressing the commenter and the Comment title. There will be one named author of the response as per the form filled in on the Cochrane Library.
If you are concerned about too much time elapsing before you can respond, you can publish a holding statement; for example, “we thank [commenter] for their comments, and the review authors will be responding in due course etc.”
Who is the Comments Support team?
The Comments Support team is Monaz Mehta (lead), John Hilton, and Justin Mann. If you have any questions, please contact Monaz Mehta (mmehta@cochrane.org) or John Hilton (jhilton@cochrane.org) in the Editorial & Methods Department
The new Cochrane Library platform, launched on 7 August 2018, includes a new system for the submission and storage of comments. Cochrane Library users can (as previously) submit Comments on Cochrane Reviews and Protocols, and Cochrane Review Groups continue to receive notification of relevant new comments by email. The new system for publishing comments is not available to Cochrane Review Groups immediately at launch, and will be introduced soon after launch.
The new comments publication system, when introduced, involves three important changes:
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Comments will be stored and managed in a new system that forms part of the Cochrane Library.
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Comments will be published as independent items directly from the new system. There will be no need to republish the associated Review or Protocol in order to publish a Comment.
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