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When withdrawing a Cochrane Review, three the following steps need to be taken: (1) notify the authors; (2) draft the withdrawn statement; and (3) notify the Editorial & Methods Department.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give the opportunity for discussion (unless authors are not contactable) – before proceeding with publication of the withdrawn statement.
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- Reason(s) for withdrawal, starting with: "This protocol for a Cochrane Review has been withdrawn”.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.
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Approval from Network Senior Editor
The Network Senior Editor The Editor in Chief (emd@cochrane.org) must approve all withdrawn notices before publicationthe withdrawal of each Cochrane Review. Provide the:
- Title
- DOI of the version being withdrawn
- Reason for withdrawal
Step 4. Notify Editorial & Methods Department
Forward the withdrawn approval email (including the information in Step 3) to the Editorial & Methods Department (emd@cochrane.org) before publication.