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Policy: Cochrane Reviews
From July 2019, Cochrane Reviews should only be withdrawn under exceptional circumstances (i.e. for reasons other than those that could be described using the Updating Classification System), for example, if there is a concern about the conduct or reporting of the Cochrane Review.
Table 1. Examples of exceptional circumstances that lead to retraction
Serious error in a Cochrane Review. Following the recommendations of the published review could result in harm to patients or populations of interest (other than known adverse effects); and/or the reported treatment effect is inconsistent with the real effect shown in the reported data. Confirmed serious error in a Cochrane Review as a direct result of the retraction of an included study. This could occur if studies included in a Cochrane Review are retracted from publication, and an analysis shows that the removal of the retracted studies from the analyses in the Cochrane Review could lead to a serious error (defined above). See related policy on [scientific misconduct] Scientific misconduct in the Cochrane Review. This could refer to fraud or other scientific misconduct in the preparation of the review. See related policies on [scientific misconduct], and [plagiarism]. |
As per rejections, editorial teams are requested to alert the EMD ahead of withdrawing the Cochrane Review. Email XXXXXX with the:
- Title
- DOI of the version being withdrawn
- Reason for withdrawal
The reason for withdrawing an article should be described clearly, as follows:
Steps to withdraw a Cochrane Reveiw
When retracting a Cochrane Review, three steps need to be taken: (1) notify the authors; (2) draft the withdrawn statement; and (3) notify the Editorial & Methods Department.
Step 1. Notify authors
The Managing Editor should notify the contact author (with copies to all co-authors) of the intention to withdraw the Cochrane Review – and give the opportunity for discussion (unless authors are not contactable) – before proceeding with publication of the withdrawn statement.
If contactable, the authors must be asked if they agree with the proposed withdrawal, as this information can be included in the withdrawn statement.
Step 2. Draft the retraction/archive statements
In keeping with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Guidelines for retracting articles, the published reason for withdrawal must not be potentially defamatory or libelous. Also see “What should an ideal retraction notice look like?”from Retraction Watch for further reading.
Note that the Editor in Chief must approve all retraction statements before publication. See Step 3 below.
Statement to accompany the withdrawn Cochrane Review
The retraction statement must include the following information:
- Reason(s) for withdrawal, starting with: “This Cochrane Review has been withdrawn from publication.”
- Which section(s) of the review is/are affected.
- Who is withdrawing the review (and whether the authors agree).
- Whether the Cochrane Review will be revised and re-published in future.
Statement to accompany the retracted (withdrawn) protocol for a Cochrane Review
The withdrawn statement must include the following information:
- Reason(s) for withdrawal, starting with: "This protocol for a Cochrane Review has been withdrawn”.
- Who is withdrawing the protocol (and whether the authors agree).
- Whether the protocol will be revised and republished in future.
Step 3. Notify Editorial & Methods Department
The Editor in Chief (ceu@cochrane.org) must approve all retraction notices before publication. Provide the:
- Title
- DOI of the version being withdrawn
- Reason for withdrawal
Retraction followed by republication
The Editors may accept for publication a revised version of a Cochrane Review that addresses the issues raised in the retraction (withdrawn) notice. Any such version will be re-evaluated using standard Cochrane editorial process, and may then be approved for publication (as a separate, subsequent version) in consultation with the Editor in Chief.
Protocols for Cochrane Reviews
Protocols that have not been converted into full Cochrane Reviews within two years of publication should generally be withdrawn from the CDSR.
Editorial guidance
The decision to withdraw a published Cochrane Review (or protocol) should generally be made between the authors and the Cochrane Review Group (CRG) editorial team. The reason for the withdrawal should be given in the Published Notes section of the protocol or review. link to Archie Help
What shows in the published version
When a protocol or review is withdrawn, it will be flagged in the published version in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) as ‘withdrawn’ and only the title, coversheet, and reason for withdrawal will be published.
Published Cochrane Reviews (including protocols) are not removed from the CDSR. (Up to 16 December 2014, withdrawn protocols were removed from the CDSR after one issue of publication. From this date onwards, withdrawn protocols remain published to maintain the public record of publication and to complement the inclusion in PROSPERO.) A review may be withdrawn temporarily (suspended) and can be reinstated once it is considered satisfactory by the authors and the CRG's editorial team; otherwise it should remain withdrawn. Published versions that precede a withdrawn version are available in the CDSR by clicking on the ‘Other versions’ tab in the article.
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The decision to withdraw a published Cochrane Review (or protocol) should generally be made between the authors and the Cochrane Review Group (CRG) editorial team. The reason for the withdrawal should be given in the Published Notes section of the protocol or review. When a protocol or review is withdrawn, it will be flagged in the published version in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) as ‘withdrawn’ and only the title, coversheet, and reason for withdrawal will be published.
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