Chapter PDFs from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (v6.5)

PDF versions of all chapters are available to registered Cochrane contributors below, primarily for training purposes.

Full details on how to obtain permissions to re-use material in the Handbook can be found on the main Handbook webpage. Citation information is included at the beginning of each chapter.

About Cochrane Reviews

I. Introduction
II. Planning a Cochrane Review
III. Reporting a review
IV. Updating a review
V. 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 how they will be grouped for synthesis
4. Searching for and selecting studies
5. Collecting data
6. Choosing effect measures and computing estimates of effect
7. Considering bias and conflicts of interest among the included studies
8. Assessing risk of bias in a randomized trial
9. Summarizing studies and preparing for the synthesis
10. Analysing data and undertaking meta-analyses
11. Undertaking network meta-analyses
12. Synthesizing and presenting findings using other methods
13. Assessing risk of bias due to missing results in a synthesis
14. Completing 'Summary of findings' tables and grading the certainty of the evidence
15. Interpreting results and drawing conclusions

Specific perspectives in reviews

16. Equity and specific populations
17. Intervention complexity
18. Patient reported outcomes
19. Adverse effects
20. Economics evidence
21. Qualitative research and Cochrane Reviews

Other topics

22. Prospective approaches to accumulating evidence
23. Including variants on randomized trials
24. Including non-randomized studies
25. Assessing risk of bias in a non-randomized study
26. Individual participant data