Intervention review type
The intervention review template aids authors in what to report and where to ensure compliance with PRISMA, and will improve consistency across Cochrane reviews for the reader.
From 3 June 2024, all protocols, reviews and updates in RevMan have the focused review format enabled by default. The following table outlines the validation rules of empty text sections in both the focused and the long review formats. It also shows how review headings have changed, indicating where text has moved to if a section has been removed in switching to the focused review format.
Upcoming subheading changes
From 17 November 2025, the intervention review type will include 3 new subheadings. These changes will not add or remove content to protocols or reviews, but may change the organization of the review.
See Warnings and errors for empty text sections by review type for more information.
Timeline for adopting subheading changes:
Review Type | Editorial process* started | Protocols, reviews, and updates |
Intervention | No | Authors must use the new subheadings from 17 November 2025 . |
Yes | Authors should continue to use the old subheadings. The switch to the new subheading will happen on publication or rejection. |
* Editorial process is defined as manuscripts that have already been submitted to Editorial Manager, until publication or rejection; resubmissions and manuscripts in revision are also considered as having already started the editorial process.
| Level 1 heading | H1 |
| Level 2 heading | H2 |
| Level 3 heading | H3 |
| Level 4 heading | H4 |
Note: High-level headings that do not have a corresponding text field are not validated. These are highlighted in light blue.
Subheading changes implemented from 17 November 2025 are marked with ***.
Focused review format | Focused format validation Error = section cannot be empty Warning or No validation = optional but check template for reporting guidance | Long review format | Long format validation Error = section cannot be empty Warning or No validation = optional but check template for reporting guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
(H1) Title | (H1) Title | ||
(H1) Abstract | (H1) Abstract | ||
(H2) Rationale | Error | (H2) Background | Error |
(H2) Objectives | Error | (H2) Objectives | Error |
(H2) Search methods | Error | (H2) Search methods | Error |
(H2) Eligibility criteria | Error | (H2) Selection criteria | Error |
(H2) Outcomes | Error | ||
(H2) Risk of bias | Error | ||
(H2) Synthesis methods | Error | (H2) Data collection and analysis | Error |
(H2) Included studies | Error | ||
(H2) Synthesis of results | Error | (H2) Main results | Error |
(H2) Authors' conclusions | Error | (H2) Authors' conclusions | Error |
(H2) Funding (all review types) | Error | ||
(H2) Registration (all review types) | Error | ||
(H1) Plain language summary | Error | (H1) Plain language summary | Error |
(H1) Plain language summary title | Error | (H1) Plain language summary title | No validation |
Key messages | No validation | Key messages | No validation |
Tailored heading: e.g. What is epilepsy? | No validation | Tailored heading: e.g. What is epilepsy? | No validation |
Optional tailored heading: e.g. How is epilepsy treated? | No validation | Optional tailored heading: e.g. How is epilepsy treated? | No validation |
What did we want to find out? | No validation | What did we want to find out? | No validation |
What did we do? | No validation | What did we do? | No validation |
What did we find? | No validation | What did we find? | No validation |
Main results | No validation | Optional heading: Main results | No validation |
What are the limitations of the evidence? | No validation | What are the limitations of the evidence? | No validation |
How up to date is this evidence? | No validation | How up to date is this evidence? | No validation |
(H1) Summary of findings | No validation | (H1) Summary of findings | No validation |
Summary of findings tables | Summary of findings tables | No validation | |
(H1) Background | No validation | (H1) Background | No validation |
(H2) Description of the condition | Warning | (H2) Description of the condition | Warning |
(H2) Description of the intervention and how it might work | Warning | (H2) Description of the intervention | Warning |
(H2) How the intervention might work (text moved to ‘Description of the intervention and how it might work’ section in focused format) | Warning | ||
(H2) Why it is important to do this review | Error | (H2) Why it is important to do this review | Warning |
(H1) Objectives | No validation | (H1) Objectives | Error |
(H1) Methods | No validation | (H1) Methods | |
(H2) Differences between protocol and review *** | Error | ||
(H2) Criteria for considering studies for this review | Error | (H2) Criteria for considering studies for this review | No validation |
(H3) Types of studies | Error | (H3) Types of studies | Error |
(H3) Types of participants | Error | (H3) Types of participants | Error |
(H3) Types of interventions | Error | (H3) Types of interventions | Error |
(H2) Outcome measures | Error | (H3) Types of outcome measures | Warning |
(H3) Critical outcomes | Warning | (H4) Primary outcomes | Warning |
(H3) Important outcomes | Warning | (H4) Secondary outcomes | Warning |
(H2) Search methods for identification of studies | Error | (H2) Search methods for identification of studies | No validation |
(H3) Electronic searches | Error | (H3) Electronic searches | Error |
(H3) Searching other resources | Error | (H3) Searching other resources | Error |
(H2) Data collection and analysis | No validation | (H2) Data collection and analysis | |
(H3) Selection of studies | Error | (H3) Selection of studies | Error |
(H3) Data extraction and management | Error | (H3) Data extraction and management | Error |
(H3) Risk of bias assessment in included studies | Error | (H3) Assessment of risk of bias in included studies | Error |
(H3) Measures of treatment effect | Error | (H3) Measures of treatment effect | Error |
(H3) Unit of analysis issues | Error | (H3) Unit of analysis issues | Error |
(H3) Dealing with missing data | Error | (H3) Dealing with missing data | Error |
(H3) Assessment of heterogeneity (text moved to ‘Synthesis methods’ section in focused format) | Error | ||
(H3) Reporting bias assessment | Error | (H3) Assessment of reporting biases | Error |
(H3) Synthesis methods | Error | (H3) Data synthesis | Error |
(H3) Investigation of heterogeneity and subgroup analysis | Error | (H3) Subgroup analysis and investigation of heterogeneity | Error |
(H4) Equity-related assessment (text will move to Equity considerations in reviews using new subheadings from 17 November 2025) | Error | ||
(H3) Sensitivity analysis | Error | (H3) Sensitivity analysis | Error |
(H3) Certainty of the evidence assessment (L3) | Error | (H3) Summary of findings and assessment of the certainty of the evidence | Error |
(H2) Equity considerations *** (moved and renamed from 'Equity-related assessment from 17 November 2025) | Error | ||
(H2) Consumer involvement | Error | ||
(H1) Results | No validation | (H1) Results | |
(H2) Description of studies | No validation | (H2) Description of studies | Warning |
(H3) Results of the search | Error | (H3) Results of the search | Error |
(H3) Included studies | Error | (H3) Included studies | Error |
(H3) Excluded studies | Error | (H3) Excluded studies | Error |
(H2) Risk of bias in included studies | No validation | (H2) Risk of bias in included studies | Error |
(H3) Allocation (selection bias) | Error if 'Risk of bias in included studies' section is empty | ||
(H3) Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) | Error if 'Risk of bias in included studies' section is empty | ||
(H3) Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) | Error if 'Risk of bias in included studies' section is empty | ||
(H3) Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Error if 'Risk of bias in included studies' section is empty | ||
(H3) Other potential sources of bias | Error if 'Risk of bias in included studies' section is empty | ||
(H2) Synthesis of results | Error | (H2) Effects of interventions | Error |
(H3) Equity assessment | No validation | ||
(H3) Reporting biases | No validation | ||
(H1) Discussion | No validation | (H1) Discussion | |
(H2) Summary of main results | Error | (H2) Summary of main results | Error |
(H2) Limitations of the evidence included in the review | Error | (H2) Overall completeness and applicability of evidence | Error |
(H2) Quality of the evidence (text moved to ‘Limitations of the evidence included in the review’ section in focused format) | Warning | ||
(H2) Limitations of the review processes | Error | (H2) Potential biases in the review process | Error |
(H2) Agreements and disagreements with other studies or reviews | Error | (H2) Agreements and disagreements with other studies or reviews | Error |
(H1) Authors' conclusions | No validation | (H1) Authors' conclusions | |
(H2) Implications for practice | Error | (H2) Implications for practice | Error |
(H3) Equity-related implications for practice | No validation | ||
(H2) Implications for research | Error | (H2) Implications for research | Error |
(H3) Equity-related implications for research | No validation | ||
(H1) Supplementary materials (all review types) | No validation | (H1) Appendices | No validation |
All supplementary materials listed | |||
(H1) Additional information | No validation | (H1) Additional information | No validation |
(H2) Acknowledgements | Error | (H2) Acknowledgements | Error |
(H2) Contributions of authors | Error | (H2) Contributions of authors | Error |
(H2) Declarations of interest | Error | (H2) Declarations of interest | No validation |
(H2) Sources of support | Error | (H2) Sources of support | No validation |
(H2) Differences between protocol and review (text moved to ‘Methods’ section in focused format) | Error | ||
(H2) Registration and protocol (all review types) | Error | ||
(H2) Data, code and other materials (all review types) | Error | ||
(H2) Disclosure of artificial intelligence use *** | Error | ||
(H2) Published notes | No validation | (H2) Published notes | No validation |
(H2) What's new | Error | (H2) What's new | No validation |
(H2) History | No validation | (H2) History | No validation |
(H1) References | (H1) References | ||
| (H2) References to studies included in this review | No validation | |
| (H2) References to studies excluded from this review | No validation | |
| (H2) References to studies awaiting assessment | No validation | |
| (H2) References to ongoing studies | No validation | |
| (H2) Additional references | No validation | |
| (H2) References to other published versions of this review | No validation | |
(H1) Figures | No validation | (H1) Figures | No validation |
(H1) Tables (all review types) | No validation | (H1) Additional tables | No validation |