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Refer to Cochrane Review proposals

Title formats

Cochrane Reviews need to adhere to the standard formats for Cochrane Review titles, as set out in Table 4.2.a of the Cochrane Handbook.Review titles have different standard formats depending on the type of Review, which authors need to adhere to. The standard format for each type of Review is detailed below.

For Cochrane Reviews of Interventions, see the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions section II.1.3 for information about structuring a title.

For Cochrane Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy, the structure of the title should adhere to one of the following formats with additional guidance in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy chapter 2:

• [Index test 1] FOR [target condition(s)] e.g. High-frequency ultrasound for diagnosing skin cancer
• [Index test 1] VERSUS [Index test 2] FOR [target condition(s)] e.g. Temporal artery ultrasound versus temporal artery biopsy for giant cell arteritis
• [Index test 1] FOR [target condition(s)] IN [participant group] e.g. Cytology for cervical cancer screening in adults

For Cochrane Reviews of Prognosis, the structure of the title should adhere to one of the following formats:

• Incidence of [outcome] within [time] in [population]
• [Prognostic factors] for predicting incidence of [outcome] in [population]
• Prediction of [outcome] in [population] using [prognostic factors]
• Prognostic models for predicting [outcome] in [population]
• Performance of [prognostic model] for predicting [outcome] in [population]
• Added/Incremental value of [prognostic factor] on top of [existing prognostic factors/prognostic model] for predicting [outcome] in [population]
• [Predictive factors] predicting the [outcome of treatment] in [population]
• [Factors / Models] predicting differential treatment response in [population]
• [Factors / Models] for predicting treatment response in [population]

For Cochrane Overviews, the structure of the title should adhere to one of the following formats:

• Interventions FOR [health problem/issue] e.g. Interventions for bronchiectasis: an overview of Cochrane systematic reviews
• [Intervention] FOR [health problem/issue] e.g. Adhesion prevention agents for gynaecological surgery: an overview of Cochrane reviews
• [Intervention] FOR [health problem/issue] IN [participant group] e.g. Blood products for the prevention of intraventricular haemorrhage in preterm infants: an overview of systematic reviews

For Cochrane Reviews of Qualitative Evidence Synthesis, the structure of the title be brief and closely reflect the main objective of the Review. The title should always end with “a qualitative evidence synthesis”. Where a Qualitative Evidence Synthesis is linked to a published Cochrane Review of Interventions, consider using terms for the population, intervention or phenomena of interest similar to those used in that Review.

For Cochrane Methodology Reviews, the structure of the title should adhere to one of the following formats:

• [Method] FOR [methodological problem/issue] e.g. Methods for obtaining unpublished data
• [Method A] VERSUS [Method B] FOR [methodological problem/issue] e.g. Blinded versus unblinded assessments of risk of bias in studies included in a systematic review

Non-standard titles are automatically alerted to the Cochrane Editorial & Methods Department, where they will be considered alongside current guidance for title structures in the Cochrane Handbook. The Cochrane Editorial & Methods Department may suggest alternative title formulations, but the final decision on a title rests with Cochrane Review Groups.

General guidance for review proposals

Step 1: assess the title

The completed review proposal form should give the editorial team the information necessary to make an initial decision on the title. Criteria to consider are the:

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