Julian Higgins
Professor of Evidence Synthesis, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol
Senior Editor of Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
Co-convenor of Cochrane Bias Methods Group
James Thomas
Professor of Social Research & Policy, EPPI-Centre, University College London
Senior Editor of Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
Co-convenor of Cochrane Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
o
❑
❑
❑
Journal # Journal #
❑
o
o
o
❑
o
o
o
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
James Thomas
Part 1: Cochrane Reviews Chapter I: Introduction
Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter II: Planning a Cochrane review
Chapter 2: Planning and preparation of a Cochrane review Chapter III: Reporting a review
Chapter 3: Maintaining reviews: updates, amendments and feedback Chapter IV: Updating a review
Chapter 4: Guide to the contents of a Cochrane protocol and review Chapter V: Overviews of reviews
Part 2: General methods for Cochrane Reviews
Chapter 5: Defining the review question and developing criteria for
including studies
Chapter 6: Searching for studies
Chapter 7: Selecting studies and collecting data
Chapter 8: Assessing risk of bias in included studies
Chapter 9: Analysing data and undertaking meta-analyses
Chapter 10: Addressing reporting biases [PDF] new
Chapter 11: Completing ‘Summary of findings’ tables and grading the
confidence in or quality of the evidence
Chapter 12: Interpreting results and drawing conclusions
Part 3: Special topics
Chapter 13: Including non-randomized studies
Chapter 14: Adverse effects
Chapter 15: Incorporating economics evidence
Chapter 16: Special topics in statistics
Chapter 17: Patient-reported outcomes
Chapter 18: Reviews of individual patient data
Chapter 19: Prospective meta-analysis
Chapter 20: Qualitative research and Cochrane reviews
Chapter 21: Reviews in public health and health promotion
Chapter 22: Overviews of reviews
Core methods
1. Starting a review
2. Determining the scope of the review and the
questions it will address
3. Defining the criteria for including studies and
Part 1: Cochrane Reviews
Chapter 1: Introduction
how they will be grouped for the synthesis
Chapter 2: Planning and preparation of a Cochrane review 4. Searching for and selecting studies
Chapter 3: Maintaining reviews: updates, amendments and feedback
Chapter 4: Guide to the contents of a Cochrane protocol and review
5. Collecting data
6. Choosing effect measures and computing
Part 2: General methods for Cochrane Reviews
Chapter 5: Defining the review question and developing criteria for
estimates of effect
including studies 7. Considering bias and conflicts of interest
Chapter 6: Searching for studies among the included studies
Chapter 7: Selecting studies and collecting data
Chapter 8: Assessing risk of bias in included studies 8. Assessing risk of bias in a randomized trial
Chapter 9: Analysing data and undertaking meta-analyses 9. Summarizing studies and preparing for the
Chapter 10: Addressing reporting biases [PDF] new
Chapter 11: Completing ‘Summary of findings’ tables and grading synthesis
the confidence in or quality of the evidence 10. Analysing data and undertaking meta-
Chapter 12: Interpreting results and drawing conclusions
analyses
Part 3: Special topics 11. Undertaking network meta-analyses
Chapter 13: Including non-randomized studies
Chapter 14: Adverse effects 12. Synthesizing and presenting findings using
Chapter 15: Incorporating economics evidence other methods
Chapter 16: Special topics in statistics
Chapter 17: Patient-reported outcomes 13. Assessing risk of bias due to missing results in
Chapter 18: Reviews of individual patient data
Chapter 19: Prospective meta-analysis
a synthesis
Chapter 20: Qualitative research and Cochrane reviews 14. Completing 'Summary of findings' tables and
Chapter 21: Reviews in public health and health promotion grading the certainty of the evidence
Chapter 22: Overviews of reviews
15. Interpreting results and drawing conclusions
Specific perspectives in reviews
16. Equity and specific populations
17. Intervention complexity
Part 1: Cochrane Reviews
Chapter 1: Introduction 18. Patient reported outcomes
Chapter 2: Planning and preparation of a Cochrane review
Chapter 3: Maintaining reviews: updates, amendments and feedback
19. Adverse effects
Chapter 4: Guide to the contents of a Cochrane protocol and review 20. Economics evidence
Part 2: General methods for Cochrane Reviews 21. Qualitative evidence
Chapter 5: Defining the review question and developing criteria for
including studies
Chapter 6: Searching for studies
Chapter 7: Selecting studies and collecting data
Chapter 8: Assessing risk of bias in included studies
Chapter 9: Analysing data and undertaking meta-analyses
Chapter 10: Addressing reporting biases [PDF] new Other topics
Chapter 11: Completing ‘Summary of findings’ tables and grading the
confidence in or quality of the evidence
Chapter 12: Interpreting results and drawing conclusions 22. Prospective approaches to cumulating
Part 3: Special topics evidence
Chapter 13: Including non-randomized studies
Chapter 14: Adverse effects
23. Including variants on randomized trials
Chapter 15: Incorporating economics evidence 24. Including non-randomized studies
Chapter 16: Special topics in statistics
Chapter 17: Patient-reported outcomes 25. Assessing risk of bias in a non-
Chapter 18: Reviews of individual patient data
Chapter 19: Prospective meta-analysis
randomized study
Chapter 20: Qualitative research and Cochrane reviews 26. Individual participant data
Chapter 21: Reviews in public health and health promotion
Chapter 22: Overviews of reviews (now online Chapter V)
James Thomas
❑
❑
❑
o
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
o
o
❑
o
o
❑
o
o
❑
❑
❑
o
o
o
o
❑
o
❑
❑
o
o
❑
o
❑
o
❑
o
Julian Higgins
❑
❑
o
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑ RoB 2
❑
❑
❑
Concerns over
conflicts of interest
TACIT
Risk of bias Risk of bias Sources of
within studies across studies heterogeneity
RoB 2; ROBINS-I RoB-ME
Study Publication bias Inconsistency
limitations
Indirectness
❑
o
o Awaiting
implementation
o in RevMan
o
•
•
•
James Thomas
❑
o
o
•
❑
❑
o
o
o
•
•
❑
o
o
❑
o
o
o
o
o
o
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
o
o
❑
❑
❑
❑
o
o
o
o
❑
❑
Julian Higgins
❑
o
o
o
o
•
❑
o
o
o
❑
❑
o
•
•
•
James Thomas
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
o
o
o
o
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Trusted evidence.
Informed decisions.
Better health.
