The Cochrane Editorial and Publishing Policy Resource (EPPR) has moved to new site and has been reorganized and updated. It is available to view this new URL: https://documentation.cochrane.org/display/EPPR.

What’s new?

The scope of the EPPR was broad (with information about the Cochrane Library, Archie, etc), and this has been modified to focus on the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews only. This means that following the content audit (and decision to keep, delete, update, or move each page), we made several changes to the EPPR. Changes – current and going forward – are logged in the new version histories page.

The new structure brings in some changes:

• Policies are separated into five groups:
• Pre-submission: those policies that apply to proposals for Cochrane Reviews and the preparation of Cochrane Reviews and other Cochrane content before the articles are submitted for editorial review.
• Submission to publication: those policies relevant to Cochrane content between submission for editorial review and up to publication.
• After publication: those policies relevant to articles after publication.
• General editorial policies: those policies applicable throughout the preparation of articles before publication.
• General publishing policies: general publishing policies and related information.
• Editorial management information is in a separate section: we have separated out all policy information from supporting implementation guidance information specific to Cochrane editorial teams.

The more substantive content changes are as follows:

• Policy for withdrawing Cochrane Reviews: updated to reflect that Cochrane Reviews should only be withdrawn under exceptional circumstances (i.e. for reasons other than those that can be described using the Updating Classification System), for example, if there is a concern about the conduct or reporting of the Cochrane Review.
• Serious errors policy: definition of serious errors revised to include factual errors in describing one or more included studies; the process has been revised to direct notification to the Editor in Chief who will work with the Co-ordinating Editor and Network Senior Editor concerned.  
• Peer review policy: all information relating to the implementation phase has been removed; and a new section on the process for exceptions to named peer review has been added.
• Network Senior Editors are now included in policies: following the review of the EPPR content, we identified those policies and pages where Network Senior Editors (or Associate Editors) needed to be included, for example, to escalate issues instead of escalating directly to the Editor in Chief.
• Review proposal forms: updated and revised for to include information on conflict of interest declarations, data protection, and storage of forms.

Redirects

Redirects have been put in place for all pages from the previous site so users will be moved to the current location if they have a link on a website or use a bookmark, for example.

Queries and support

For comments, queries, or suggestions for changes, contact Harriet MacLehose (hmaclehose@cochrane.org), Senior Editor and Head of Editorial Policy and Publication Unit, Editorial & Methods Department.

For support in implementing the policies and practices, Managing Editors can contact the Managing Editor Support team (mesupport@cochrane.org).