Implementation of Cochrane’s new editorial management system, Editorial Manager, has progressed well throughout the second semester of 2021. Nearly all Cochrane Review Groups (CRGs) have begun using the system across the CRG Network sites, as well as the Central Editorial Service. Editorial teams will soon be able to complete the entire editorial workflow, including publication, in Editorial Manager.

So far, as of September 30, 2021:

• 48 of 52 CRGs have now begun using Editorial Manager
• 22 CRGs have more than 60% of their active reviews set to be managed in Editorial Manager
• 725 proposals and 225 submissions have been entered into the system

As part of the implementation process, an Editorial Manager training hub was created on Cochrane Training, containing a variety of training resources. These include videos of live demo sessions that occurred in June and July of this year, as well as sign up links for Q&A sessions happening in the future. The Editorial Manager Knowledge Base is an important resource for CRGs and others using the system and is frequently updated as the system continues to improve.

These resources are particularly important as Archie workflows will be turned off at the end of December 2021. Editorial Manager will become the system through which all Cochrane reviews, protocols, and updates will be managed after this date. This is an important step to finalize the implementation of Editorial Manager, as it is neither feasible nor practical to have publication workflows operating in two systems. Editorial teams have been provided with step-by-step guidance on preparing for this change, and the Cochrane Support team is eager to ensure the experience of teams finishing their transition to Editorial Manager is a good one.

The EMS Community Liaison team was instrumental in ensuring the progress of Editorial Manager implementation. Anne-Marie Stephani, Pua Motu’apuaka, and Anna Erskine (along with the ME Support team) met on a 1:1 basis with CRG editorial teams to help them begin using the system. They also followed up with CRGs to answer questions and escalate feedback to the Cochrane Support team and the Editorial Manager Project Team. The Anna and Pua finished their work as part of the rollout at the end of September, while Anne-Marie finished at the end of June; thank you to Anne-Marie, Pua, and Anna for their role in implementing this new system!

If you have any questions about Editorial Manager, please reach out to Cochrane Support.