The search Methods section of the PROTOCOL should broadly follow the following format:
Electronic searches
We will search the following electronic databases to identify reports of relevant randomised clinical trials:
- The Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register;
- The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library) (Latest issue and publication year);
- Ovid MEDLINE (1946 to present);
- Ovid EMBASE (1974 to present);
- EBSCO CINAHL (1982 to present)
We will use the following provisional search strategy in The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL):
Insert the CENTRAL search string here
We will adapt this strategy to search Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE and EBSCO CINAHL. We will combine the Ovid MEDLINE search with the Cochrane Highly Sensitive Search Strategy for identifying randomised trials in MEDLINE: sensitivity- and precision-maximising version (2008 revision) (Lefebvre 2011). We will combine the EMBASE search with the Ovid EMBASE filter developed by the UK Cochrane Centre (Lefebvre 2011). We will combine the CINAHL searches with the trial filters developed by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN 2011). We will not restrict studies with respect to language, date of publication or study setting.
Details of these references are given at the end of this document
If you wish to search any other databases apart from those mentioned above, please add them to the above list and note the start date.
We will search the following clinical trials registries:
- ClinicalTrials,gov (
- WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (
- EU Clinical Trials Register (
Searching other resources
We will search the bibliographies of all retrieved and relevant publications identified by these strategies for further studies. We will contact experts in the field to ask if they have been involved in or know of any studies relevant to this review. We will also contact xxxx, xxxx, etc, the manufacturers of XXXXXXXXX to ask for information relevant to this review.
Please give the names of the manufacturers you intend to contact
Indicate exactly which conference/meeting abstracts will be searched and if you are planning to handsearch any Journals.
Feedback on the formatting of references in reviews
For guidance on the Cochrane citation style please see the Cochrane Style Guide 4.1 edition (October 2010)
The following points need to be checked for each document:
- Please check that all references are cited within the text of the review
- In text citation should be listed in a consistent manner, either alphabetically OR chronologically, e.g. (Brown 2009, Jones 1989, Lamb 2003, Smith 1995) or (Jones 1989, Smith 1995, Lamb 2003, Brown 2009). Please ensure you do not have a combination of the two systems.
- All study names should be in the following format: First author surname, followed by year of publication; do not include author initials (e.g. Brown 2013 NOT Brown J 2013)
- For Study with only one reference DO NOT tick the ‘Primary reference’ box.
- RevMan automatically inserts a full stop after each line in the reference, so ensure that there are no full stops at the end of each reference field. If you have included full stops in some fields and this comes out as a double full stop in the listed reference – please remove these
- Authors should be listed in the following format: surname followed by a space then the author’s initials without full stops. Each author name should be separated by a comma but without a comma between the surname and the initials, e.g. Smith JE, Jones B, Brown T
- List only the first six authors followed by 'et al'. Using a comma before ‘et al’ is optional, but be consistent. For example Smith H, Tavender E, Klaes D, Hinds P, Remmington T, Sparkes V, et al
- Do not use “&” or “and” in the authors list
- The title field must be in sentence case, i.e. the first letter of the first word in upper case and all other words in lower case (unless proper nouns which require capitalisation). For example “Antibiotics for treating pneumonia in children” not “Antibiotics for Treating Pneumonia in Children”. Please correct all titles.
- All Journal titles should be entered in full in title case, e.g. Journal of Trauma notJ Trauma. Please check all references and correct as necessary.
- Journal titles sometimes change; use title current at time of publication. For example British Medical Journal from 1857 to 1988 but BMJ from 1988 to present.
- Page numbers should be in the following format: 324-8; 556-60; 1093-8 (NOT 324-328; 1093-1098). Please check all references and correct as necessary.
- For publications on the Internet you should show the date the page/site was accessed in the date of publication (YR) field. For example (accessed 10 May 2012)
- When citing a Cochrane review the Journal/book/source (SO) is Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews not The Cochrane Library.
- You must include the Art. No. and DOI information for all Cochrane reviews and protocols cited. Please enter the number in the Other ID numbers (ID) section. You can find these numbers in the “This record should be cited as” section at the beginning of the review.
- We encourage authors to cross-reference to Cochrane reviews particularly Wounds Group reviews wherever appropriate.
How to cite search filters in RevMan
The Cochrane highly sensitive search strategy for MEDLINE
Reference type: Other
Ref No: Lefebvre 2011
Author: Lefebvre C, Manheimer E, Glanville J, on behalf of the Cochrane Information Retrieval Methods Group
English title: Chapter 6: Searching for studies
Journal/book/source: In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from
The SIGN effectiveness filter for CINAHL
Reference type: Other
Ref No: SIGN 2010
Author: Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)
English title: Search filters
Journal/book/source:
Date of publication: (accessed day month 2010)
The UKCC effectiveness filter for EMBASE
Reference type: Other
Ref No: Lefebvre 2011
Author:Lefebvre C, Manheimer E, Glanville J, on behalf of the Cochrane Information Retrieval Methods Group
English title: Chapter 6: Searching for studies
Journal/book/source:In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from
The CRD economics filters MEDLINE, EMBASE & CINAHL
Reference type: Other
Ref No: CRD 2010
Author: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD)
English title: Economic evaluations
Journal/book/source: The InterTASC Information Specialists' Sub-Group Search Filter Resource. Available from
Date of publication: 2010
How to cite a Handbook chapter with editors in RevMan
Reference type: Other
Ref No: Higgins 2011
Author: Higgins JPT, Altman DG, on behalf of the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group and the Cochrane Bias Methods Group (Editors)
English title: Chapter 8: Assessing risk of bias in included studies.
Journal/book/source: In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from
Reference type: Other
Ref No: Deeks 2011
Author: Deeks JJ, Higgins JPT, Altman DG, on behalf of the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group and the Cochrane Bias Methods Group (Editors)
English title: Chapter 9: Analysing data and undertaking meta-analyses.
Journal/book/source: In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from
Reference type: Other
Ref No: Sterne 2011
Author: Sterne JAC, Egger M, Moher D, on behalf of the Cochrane Bias Methods Group (Editors)
English title: Chapter 10: Addressing reporting biases
Journal/book/source: In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from
Reference type: Other
Ref No: Schünemann 2011
Author: Schünemann HJ, Oxman AD, Higgins JPT, Vist GE, Glasziou P, et al, on behalf of the Cochrane Applicability and Recommendations Methods Group and the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group
English title: Chapter 11: Presenting results and ‘Summary of findings’ tables
Journal/book/source: In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from
Reference type: Other
Ref No: Schünemann 2011
Author: Schünemann HJ, Oxman AD, Vist GE, Higgins JPT, Deeks JJ, Glasziou P, et al, on behalf of the Cochrane Applicability and Recommendations Methods Group
English title: Chapter 12: Interpreting results and drawing conclusions
Journal/book/source: In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from
Reference type: Other
Ref No: Higgins 2011
Author: Higgins JPT, Deeks JJ and Altman DG on behalf of the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group (Editors)
English title: Chapter 16: Special topics in statistics.
Journal/book/source: In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from
How to cite the Handbook
Reference type: Other
Ref No: Higgins 2011
Author:Higgins JPT, Green S (editors)
English title: In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011.Available from
How to cite a PRISMA flowchart
Reference type: Journal
Ref No: Liberati 2009
Author: Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Gotzsche PC, Ioannidis JP, et al
English title: The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: explanation and elaboration
Journal/book/source:PLoS Medicine
Date of publication: 2009
Volume: 6
Pages: e1000100
How to cite a Cochrane Review
Reference type: Cochrane review
Author: Farion KJ, Russell KF, Osmond MH, Hartling L, Klassen TP, Durec T, et al
English title: Tissue adhesives for traumatic lacerations in children and adults
Journal/book/source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Date of publication: 2001
Issue: 4
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003326
AND FINALLY
Run the Validation Report feature on RevMan as an extra check that all refs are correctly formatted.