Methods Support Unit web clinics

Welcome to this series of Cochrane Learning Live webinars, all dedicated to methods support. Each month, Cochrane review authors and editorial staff are invited to join a 60 minute web clinic hosted by Cochrane's Methods Support Unit to discuss methodological questions during the production of Cochrane Protocols and Reviews.

We are pleased to be joined throughout the series by experts in this field, and you can find out more about each session and access the webinar recordings below. All sessions are freely open to everyone. 

If you have a question or issue that you would like to get addressed on a Methods Support Unit web clinic, please contact the Methods Support Unit


Upcoming sessions

Tuesday 28 January 2025, 20:00 UTC 
Demonstration of new random-effects methods in RevMan
Professor Jo McKenzie, Head of the Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Areti-Angeliki Veroniki, Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. Co-Convenor, Cochrane Statistical Methods Group.
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Thursday 6 February 2025, 10:00 UTC 
How well are Cochrane reviews incorporating non-randomised studies of interventions (NRSI)? Lessons learnt from a scoping review
Emma Axon, Evidence Synthesis Methodology Editor, Methods Support Unit, Cochrane.
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Thursday 27 March 2025, 09:00 UTC 
Introduction to systematic reviews of prognosis studies
Carl Moons, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and former Director of Research, Julius Center, UMC Utrecht.
Dr. Anneke Damen, Assistant Professor, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care.
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Watch the recordings of previous sessions

Equity in all Cochrane reviews [November 2024]
Jennifer Petkovic, Coordinator, Campbell and Cochrane Health Equity Thematic Group and MuSE Consortium.
Jordi Pardo Pardo, Senior Advisor, Cochrane Health Equity Thematic Group.
[click here for recording]

Introduction to new random-effects methods in RevMan [October 2024]
Professor Jo McKenzie, Head of the Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Areti-Angeliki Veroniki, Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. Co-Convenor, Cochrane Statistical Methods Group.
[click here for recording]

Introducing ROB-ME: a tool for assessing risk of non-reporting biases in systematic reviews with meta-analysis [October 2024]
Matthew Page, Senior Research Fellow & Deputy Head, Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit, Monash University
Julian Higgins, Professor of Evidence Synthesis, University of Bristol
Jonathan Sterne, Professor of Medical Statistics & Epidemiology, University of Bristol
[click here for recording]

Writing a Cochrane abstract in the focused review format [September 2024]
Lindsay Robertson, Evidence Synthesis Development Editor, Cochrane
[click here for recording]

Reporting a Cochrane Qualitative Evidence Synthesis – how to avoid common reporting issues [July 2024]
Jane Noyes, Professor in Health and Social Services Research and Child Health, Bangor University, UK
Martina Giltenane, Associate Professor, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Limerick
[click here for recording]

Applying and reporting GRADE CERQual: how to avoid common mistakes [June 2024]
Jane Noyes, Professor in Health and Social Services Research and Child Health, Bangor University, UK
Andrew Booth, Professor in Evidence Synthesis, Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), University of Sheffield.
[click here for recording]

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in Cochrane [May 2024]
Dr Anna Noel-Storr, Head of Evidence Pipeline and Data Curation Team, Cochrane.
Ella Flemyng, Head of Editorial Policy and Research Integrity, Cochrane.
Professor James Thomas, Principal Investigator, Evidence Reviews Facility, Department of Health and Social Care, England.
[click here for recording]

Plain language for Cochrane reviews: how to ensure your readers find what they need and understand what they find [April 2024]
Denise Mitchell, Senior Production Editor in Cochrane’s Publishing and Technology Directorate.
[click here for recording]

Component network meta-analysis: concepts and insights [March 2024]
Sofia Tsokani, Statistics Editor, Cochrane's Methods Support Unit.
[click here for recording]

Introducing Cochrane’s Focused Review Format template: an essential tool for authors [February 2024]
Ella Flemyng, Head of Editorial Policy and Research Integrity, Cochrane.
Rachel Richardson, Methods Support Unit Manager, Cochrane.
[click here for recording]

Updated guidance on how to interpret and assess imprecision with GRADE methods [January 2024]
Leslie Choi, Evidence Synthesis Development Editor, Cochrane. 
[click here for recording]
 
Developing an effective ‘Overview of included studies and syntheses’ table [December 2023]
Miranda Cumpston, Systematic review editor and methodologist, Cochrane Nutrition and Physical Activity Thematic Group & People, Health Systems and Public Health Thematic Group.
[click here for recording]
 
Dealing with rare events in Cochrane reviews [November 2023]
Afroditi Kanellopoulou, Statistics Editor, Methods Support Unit.
[click here for recording]
 
New guidance on reporting the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies - of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool [October 2023]
Dr Kerry Dwan, Senior Lecturer in Evidence Synthesis, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
[click here for recording]
 
How can the framework for prospective, adaptive meta-analysis (FAME) be used to improve the quality of Cochrane reviews? [August 2023]
Professor Jayne Tierney & Sarah Burdett, MRC Clinical Trials Unit, UCL, London
[click here for recording]
 
Developing a tool for detecting problematic RCTs in health systematic reviews: the INSPECT-SR project [July 2023]
Jack Wilkinson, Lecturer at the Centre for Biostatistics, University of Manchester
[click here for recording]
 
Considering scope at the review planning stage [June 2023]
Leslie Choi, Methods and Evidence Synthesis Team, Cochrane 
[click here for recording]
 
Handling heterogeneity in Cochrane reviews [April 2023]
Afroditi Kanellopoulou & Sofia Tsokani, Statistics Editors, Methods Support Unit. 
[click here for recording]
 
Risk of Bias 2: Good practice and common errors [February 2023]
Rachel Richardson, Methods Support Unit Manager, Cochrane
[click here for recording]
 
How to approach writing a Background section [January 2023]
Toby Lasserson, Deputy Editor in Chief, Cochrane 
[click here for recording]
 
Assessing imprecision and inconsistency in GRADE [December 2022]
Leslie Choi, Evidence Synthesis Development Editor, Cochrane
[click here for recording]

Development of materials to facilitate implementation of methods for presentation and statistical synthesis when data are not amenable to meta-analysis [November 2022]
Joanne McKenzie, Simon Turner & Sue Brennan, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Australia
[click here for recording]

Interpretation of subgroup analyses [October 2022]
Marty Chaplin, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
[click here for recording]

What makes a good Discussion section? [September 2022]
Nuala Livingstone, Cochrane Evidence Production and Methods Directorate
[click here for recording]

Writing up reviews with network meta analysis [July 2022]
Kerry Dwan, Methods Support Unit
[click here for recording]

Preferred and acceptable risk of bias tools for non-randomised studies of interventions [June 2022]
Michele Hilton Boon, Glasgow Caledonian University
[click here for recording]

Writing up Risk of Bias 2 [May 2022]
Kerry Dwan & Rachel Richardson, Cochrane's Central Executive Team
[click here for recording]

A checklist and guide for defining the questions to be addressed in the synthesis of public health intervention reviews [April 2022]
Miranda Cumpston, Joanne McKenzie & Sue Brennan, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Australia
[click here for recording]

Summary of findings table common errors [March 2022]
Rachel Richardson, Associate Editor, Cochrane Evidence Production & Methods
[click here for recording]

Developing your implications for research section [February 2022]
Toby Lasserson, Deputy Editor in Chief in Cochrane
[click here for recording]