Transferring editorial content to the Central Editorial Service

As you know, the Cochrane Governing Board approved a new model for producing Cochrane Evidence Syntheses. This new model was developed through planning and consultation and will bring about a major change to the way that we all work. We know that this kind of change can seem complex and sometimes a little daunting, so we've outlined practical steps and information for you here.   

By the end of June 2024, the editorial process for all Cochrane protocols, reviews and updates will be managed centrally by an expanded Central Editorial Service. 

This page lays out the process we will take together over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition of editorial processing from Cochrane Review Groups to the Central Editorial Service. This will mean transferring all submissions to the Central Editorial Service's Editorial Manager site over the course of 2023 and early 2024. For this process to be successful, it is important that you please conduct all editorial processing steps in EM, so there is a clear record of what has been done for all protocols, reviews, and updates. 

The Editorial Manager group sites will be archived in 2024. Group staff will of course retain access to all other Cochrane tools and platforms, including RevMan and Archie, in order to continue the important work of supporting authors to develop reviews. A new staff-facing portfolio management interface in RevMan Web is in development and will allow you to assign and track pre-submission tasks. If you are interested in testing or informing the development of this functionality, please contact Cochrane Support. 

If you have questions about this process or have ideas about how we can support you through this transition, please contact Cochrane Support. As we receive queries, we will develop FAQs and add them to the bottom of this page.

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Step 1: Transfer invitations to submit to group Editorial Manager site (from 1 April 2023) 

From 1 April 2023, no new proposals (invitations) to submit to your group EM site should be created with a due date later than 31 August 2023. This includes invitations to submit full reviews from published protocols.  

Any existing invitations with submission due dates after 31 August 2023 should be transferred to the Central Editorial Service's EM site. Your Proposal Menu in Editorial Manager should only include proposals (invitations) where the author submission deadline is before 31 August 2023. Cochrane Support will contact you in early July, sending a list of proposals to be annotated by your group, for transfer to the Central Editorial Service. Please respond with your annotated list by 1 August 2023, as noted below:

  1. Authors are expected to submit and you would like us to open an invitation on the Central Editorial Service site: 
    • Please provide all requested information on the sheet (funding, deadlines, suggested peer reviewers and sign-off editors, etc.) 
  2. Submission is overdue and/or you are unsure if authors are likely to submit;  
    • Please highlight these proposals in red on the sheet 
    • Cochrane Support will close these proposals and send an email to the authors to let them know they can contact us as and when they have a draft ready. We will then invite them to submit to Central Editorial Service.  
  3. Submission will not happen because this is an abandoned title, it has already been submitted against a different invitation in EM, or it has already been published.  
    • Please highlight these proposals in blue and the Support Team will close these proposals with no notification to authors. 

To ensure that authors of new draft protocols are invited to submit to the Central Editorial Service, from 30 April 2023 it will no longer be possible to create or accept a Proposal (Expression of interest) or Title Proposal on the group EM sites. Please encourage all prospective authors who want to start a new protocol with your group to submit their Proposal on the Central Editorial Service's EM site. You will be invited to provide feedback on any Proposals (Expressions of interest) received in your topic area. Accepted Proposals will be listed under your group’s section in Archie. You will be able to track the authors’ progress and support them as they prepare their draft protocol for submission to Central Editorial Service. After submission, you will also be notified of any editorial decisions. This means, for instance, that you can help authors to revise their manuscript in response to peer review comments and prepare their rebuttal. 

Additionally, from 15 May 2023, it will no longer be possible to initiate new proposals (invitations to submit). If you need to initiate a proposal for a submission date prior to 1 September or for publishing an amendment,  please contact Cochrane Support. From 21 September 2023, full reviews will be automatically invited to submit following the publication of the protocol, so it is not necessary to contact Support requesting an invitation in these cases. 

Step 2: Transfer all new submissions to the Central Editorial Service (from 1 September 2023) 

All new protocols, reviews, and updates where the first draft is submitted after 1 September 2023 should be transferred to the Central Editorial Service as soon as the submissions come in. 

Content can be transferred by adding information to the manuscript notes and then notifying Support.  

Please do not begin editorial processing of any new submissions after 1 September 2023. Submissions already in the editorial process, or which come in after revision, will stay on your site so that you can complete the editorial process and send them to production following an accept decision. Depending on when the accept decision is made, the copy-editing process may be completed by the Central Editorial Service. 

To support this step in the transition of content, from 1 December 2023 the “invite reviewer” function will no longer be available on group EM sites. 

From 21 September 2023, full reviews will be automatically invited to submit following the publication of the protocol, so it is not necessary to contact Support requesting an invitation in these cases. 

Step 3: Audit submissions already in progress with group (from 1 October 2023) 

From 1 October 2023, Cochrane Support will contact you to provide you with an Excel file showing all your submissions in progress in the editorial process on your Editorial Manager site, and will request an update on all submissions. If you do not anticipate reaching an ‘accept’ decision on a submission by 28 February 2024, please transfer the submission to the Central Editorial Service at an ideal point in the editorial process:

  • After making the accept decision (before initiating production) 
  • Before making a revise decision and sending comments back to authors 
  • Before inviting peer reviewers (but submission is ready for external peer review)

If any of the submissions that you are currently managing will not be ready for external peer review by this date, please contact Cochrane Support. The submission on your site will be closed, and authors will be invited to submit to Central Editorial Service at a later deadline of your choosing, when they have a draft ready for peer review. 

 

Step 4: Transfer all remaining submissions not yet in production (from 30 April 2024) 

From 30 April 2024, all submissions that have not yet reached an editorial decision of accept or reject on group EM sites should be transferred to the Central Editorial Service at an appropriate stage in the editorial process. It is complex and challenging to transfer content to the Central Editorial Service while it is out for peer review or with authors for revision. Ideal points for transfer include: 

  • After making the accept decision (before initiating production) 
  • Before making a revise decision and sending comments back to authors 
  • Before inviting peer reviewers (but submission is ready for external peer review)

If any of the submissions that you are currently managing will not be ready for external peer review by this date, please contact Cochrane Support. The submission on your site will be closed, and authors will be invited to submit to Central Editorial Service at a later deadline of your choosing, when they have a draft ready for peer review. 

To support this step in the transition of content, from 30 April 2024 the “initiate production” function will no longer be available on group EM sites. 

Step 5: Complete transfer of all remaining active submissions on group EM sites to the Central Editorial Service. Group EM sites audited and archived (30 June 2024)

Any remaining active submissions will be transferred to the Central Editorial Service by 30 June 2024.

Group EM sites will be audited, cleaned, and archived. All content for publication on the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews must be submitted for editorial processing to the Central Editorial Service, on their EM site.  

In 2024 and beyond, we look forward to continuing to work with you as you prioritise review questions, support authors to develop new reviews, and disseminate evidence in your topic area.