The first systematic review of qualitative studies is published in The Cochrane Library.

21st Cochrane Colloquium, Quebec City, Canada

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Quebec City, Canada

Cochrane's Twitter feed, @cochranecollab, reaches 20,000 followers

Cochrane becomes one of the AllTrials campaign's (for registration and reporting of all clinical trials) principal supporters and organisers

Mid-year meeting of the Steering Group and management committees in Oxford, UK

Collaboration strategic session on 'Cochrane Strategy to 2020'

New publishing arrangement signed between Cochrane and John Wiley & Sons

Mark Wilson appointed as Chief Executive Officer to The Cochrane Collaboration

20th Cochrane Colloquium, Auckland, New Zealand

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Auckland, New Zealand

Mid-year meeting of the Steering Group and management committees in Paris, France

Collaboration strategic session on 'Cochrane content'

The Cochrane Collaboration's Twitter feed, @cochranecollab, reaches 10,000 followers

The number of Cochrane Reviews in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews exceeds 5,000

Publication of CENTRAL increases from quarterly to monthly with the launch of the Cochrane Register of Studies

19th Cochrane Colloquium, Madrid, Spain

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Madrid, Spain

Mid-year meeting of the Steering Group and management committees in Split, Croatia

Collaboration strategic session on enabling wide participation

The Cochrane Collaboration accepted as a Non-Governmental Organization in Official Relations with the World Health Organization (WHO), the public health arm of the United Nations, establishing formalised communication between the two organisations.

Joint Colloquium of the Cochrane and Campbell Collaborations in Keystone, CO, USA

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Keystone, CO, USA

Publication of The Cochrane Collaboration's first Annual Report

French Cochrane Centre registered

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in Auckland, New Zealand

17th Cochrane Colloquium in Singapore

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Singapore

June 2009

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews ranked 12 out of 107 worldwide journals in ISI Thomson's Medicine, General and Internal category for journals, with an Impact Factor of 5.182 for 2008

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in Vedbaek, Denmark

Total number of published Cochrane Reviews and protocols reached 5,676 in Issue 1, 2009 of The Cochrane Library

16th Cochrane Colloquium in Freiburg, Germany

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Freiburg

South Asian Cochrane Centre registered

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in Vellore, India

Public Health Group registered

15th Cochrane Colloquium in São Paulo, Brazil

Meeting of elected Steering Group in São Paulo, Brazil

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Developing Countries Network registered (changed to Developing Countries Field in March 2010)

14th Cochrane Colloquium in Dublin, Ireland

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Dublin, Ireland

Childhood Cancer Group registered

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in Khon Kaen, Thailand

13th Cochrane Colloquium in Melbourne, Australia

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Melbourne, Australia
 

Health Equity Field registered

The Lancet announces that, from August 2005, it will require authors submitting manuscripts reporting clinical trials to include a clear summary of previous research findings, ideally by direct reference to a systematic review
 

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in Providence, USA

12th Cochrane Colloquium in Ottawa, Canada

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Ottawa, Canada

Total number of published Cochrane Reviews reaches 2,000 in Issue 3, 2004 of The Cochrane Library

The Cochrane Collaboration was awarded the 2004 Premio Homenot Internacional de la Sanidad for excellence in healthcare research at an Awards Ceremony in the Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, Spain. The ceremony was attended by both the Spanish and the Catalonian Ministers of Health. Previous winners of this prestigious award include BMJ and the Harvard School of Public Health. In her speech, Sra Ana Pastor, Minister of Health for Spain, praised The Cochrane Collaboration "for its magnificent work and contributions by performing systematic reviews of health interventions and facilitating the accessibility of these to health professionals and to citizens." In his speech of acknowledgement on behalf of all recipients of awards at the ceremony, Dr Felipe Sánchez de la Cuesta, pharmacologist and winner of the Homenot Nacional award for 2003, remarked "we will never be grateful enough to The Cochrane Collaboration for its efforts and initiatives in promoting evidence-based medicine."

National access to The Cochrane Library in Denmark

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Freiburg, Germany

11th Cochrane Colloquium in Barcelona, Spain

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Barcelona, Spain

Launch of Cochrane Library Plus en espanol

Total number of published Cochrane Reviews and protocols reaches 3,000

Chief Executive Officer appointed to The Cochrane Collaboration

New publishing agreement signed between The Cochrane Collaboration and John Wiley and Sons Limited

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in Melbourne, Australia

The Methodology Review Group changed from being a Methods Group to a Cochrane Review Group, becoming The Cochrane Collaboration's fiftieth Review Group

The Cochrane Library made free at the point of use to anyone with Internet access in Australia

Closure of French Cochrane Centre

10th Cochrane Colloquium in Stavanger, Norway

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Stavanger, Norway

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in Chengdu, China

The Cochrane Library made free at the point of use to anyone with Internet access in England (via the National Electronic Library for Health - NeLH)

The Cochrane Library made free at the point of use for access under the HINARI scheme for developing countries

The Cochrane Library made free at the point of use to anyone with Internet access in Finland and Norway

Special issue of 'Evaluation and the Health Professions' published on The Cochrane Collaboration

At the launch of island of Ireland access, Ms Bairbre de Brún (Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Northern Ireland) said, "This is a very welcome and important development. Making quality health information available to the general public in an easily accessible way is a key priority." Micheál Martin (Minister for Health and Children, Ireland) said, "Anyone on the island of Ireland with access to the Internet will now be able to use what is regarded as the world's best single source of evidence on the effects of different forms of health care."

South African Medical Journal adopts policy (similar to Lancet in June 2001) of co-publication of Cochrane Reviews (SAMJ 2002;92(1):1)

The Cochrane Library made free at the point of use to anyone with Internet access on the island of Ireland (first country-wide access to The Cochrane Library)

Chris Silagy, former Chair of the Steering Group, died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

'Informing Judgment: Case studies of health policy and research in six countries', co-published with the Milbank Memorial Fund, 2001, 200 pages

Placebo Methods Group disbanded

9th Cochrane Colloquium in Lyon, France

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Lyon, France

Lancet adopts policy of accepting submissions of reviews already on The Cochrane Library (Lancet 2001;359:1729)

Health-Related Quality of Life Methods Group registered (changed to Patient Reported Outcomes Methods Group in March 2005)

Reporting Bias Methods Group registered

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in São Paulo,Brazil

Number of Cochrane Reviews published in The Cochrane Library reaches 1,000

Information Retrieval Methods Group disbanded

Informatics Methods Group disbanded

Hematological Malignancies Group registered

8th Cochrane Colloquium in Cape Town, South Africa

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Cape Town, South Africa

San Antonio Cochrane Centre closed

Neurological Network registered (changed to Neurological Field in March 2010)

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in San Antonio, Texas, USA

Child Health Field registered

Anaesthesia Group registered

Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders Group registered

British Secretary of State for Education and Employment announces the establishment of a new Centre for Evidence-informed Policy and Practice to "build on the very successful Cochrane Collaboration in health care research", drawing attention to the quality control of systematic reviews "being pioneered through The Cochrane Collaboration initiative and the proposed Campbell Collaboration".

Inaugural meeting of the Campbell Collaboration convened by Robert Boruch at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (see http://www.campbellcollaboration.com/)

Non-Randomised Studies Methods Group registered

7th Cochrane Colloquium in Rome, Italy

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Rome, Italy

First discussions held about establishing joint Cochrane-Campbell Methods Groups

July 1999 Exploratory meeting at the School of Public Policy, University College London decides to establish the Campbell Collaboration - a sibling collaboration to The Cochrane Collaboration - to prepare, maintain and disseminate systematic reviews of social and educational interventions (see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/spp/publications/campbell.htm)

Prospective Meta-analysis Methods Group registered

Chinese Cochrane Centre registered

BMJ adopts policy of accepting submissions of reviews already on The Cochrane Library (BMJ 1999;318:142)

Back Group registered

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Group registered

6th Cochrane Colloquium in Baltimore, USA

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Baltimore, USA

Collaboration Trading Company Limited registered under English law

Lung Cancer Group registered

Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group registered

Health Economics Methods Group registered (changed to Economics Methods Group in July 2005)

Heart Group registered

Musculoskeletal Injuries Group registered (changed to Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group in April 2005)

Upper Gastrointestinal & Pancreatic Diseases Group registered

Academy of UK Medical Royal Colleges officially recognises systematic reviews as academically important research

Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems Group registered

HIV/AIDS Group registered

Neuromuscular Diseases Group registered

Reprint of Cochrane's Effectiveness and Efficiency with an introduction and forward by the directors of the Australasian and UK Cochrane Centres respectively

Drugs and Alcohol Group registered

Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care Group registered

Colorectal Cancer Group registered

Multiple Sclerosis Group registered

Skin Group registered

Increasing acknowledgement that The Cochrane Library is the best single source of evidence about the effects of health care, and that The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register is the most comprehensive register of controlled trials available

5th Cochrane Colloquium in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (in association with the 2nd meeting on the 'Scientific Basis of Health Services')

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Centro Cochrane Español (Spanish Cochrane Centre) registered (name changed to Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre in July 2000)

Deutsches Cochrane Zentrum (German Cochrane Centre) registered

Consumers and Communication Group registered

Fertility Regulation Group registered

Cancer Network registered (deregistered in November 2009)

Electronic Comments and Criticisms System launched within Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Eyes and Vision Group registered

Random Reflections on Health Services Research published to mark the 25th anniversary of Cochrane's Effectiveness and Efficiency

Renal Group registered

Mid-year meeting of Steering Group, Centre Directors and others in San Francisco, USA

Injuries Group registered

Cochrane Collaboration and Update Software sign Special Agreement

Applicability and Recommendations Methods Group registered

Gynaecological Cancer Group registered

Schering Health Care Ltd. provides The Cochrane Collaboration with information about all the company's ongoing trials

4th Cochrane Colloquium in Adelaide, Australia

Meeting of elected Steering Group in Adelaide, Australia

South African Cochrane Centre registered

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews available on the World Wide Web

Epilepsy Group registered

Breast Cancer Group registered

Strategic Planning Meeting in Oslo, Norway; 2nd meeting of elected Steering Group

Centro Cochrane do Brasil (Brazilian Cochrane Centre) registered

Placebo Effects Methods Group registered

Movement Disorders Group registered

Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Group registered

Incontinence Group registered

Complementary Medicine Field registered

President of the Royal Statistical Society proposes 'analogues' of The Cochrane Collaboration to assess the effects of social and educational interventions, and thus improve the quality of public debate on these issues as well as on health care

New England Cochrane Center registered

Hypertension Group registered

The Cochrane Library launched by Update Software as a quarterly publication on CD-ROM and disk, incorporating The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and The Cochrane Review Methodology Database

Rehabilitation and Related Therapies Field registered

Health Care of Older People Field registered

Hepato-Biliary Group registered

Trials Registers Development Group initiated

Last meeting of first Steering Group and first meeting of elected Steering Group in San Francisco, USA

Centre Cochrane Français (French Cochrane Centre) registered

Elections for new Steering Group

Funds awarded to the Collaboration by the European Union for "coordinating and extending the preparation, maintenance and dissemination of systematic reviews of health care within The Cochrane Collaboration in Europe"

UK Higher Education Funding Councils list systematic reviews (of the Cochrane type) among the quality criteria for the 1996 Research Assessment exercise

3rd Cochrane Colloquium in Oslo, Norway

Meeting of Steering Group in Oslo, Norway

Consumer Network registered

Tobacco Addiction Group registered

Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Group registered (changed to Dementia & Cognitive Improvement in May 2000)

Menstrual Disorders Group registered

Screening and Diagnostic Tests Methods Group registered

Airways Group registered

Coding and Classification Methods Group registered

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews launched in London by the English Minister for Health

San Antonio Cochrane Center registered

Wounds Group registered

Article in The Lancet suggests that "The Cochrane Collaboration is an enterprise that rivals the Human Genome Project in its potential implications for modern medicine"

Software Development Group established

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Group registered (changed to Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Functional Bowel Disorders Group in April 2005)

Empirical Methodological Studies Methods Group registered

Informatics Methods Group registered

Statistics and Quality of RCTs Methods Group registered

Individual Patient Data Meta-analyses Methods Group registered

Diabetes Group registered

San Francisco Cochrane Center registered (changed to United States Cochrane Center, San Francisco Branch in December 2002)

2nd Cochrane Colloquium, Hamilton, Canada

Meeting of Steering Group, Hamilton, Canada

First public demonstration of The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, designed by Update Software

Dutch Cochrane Centre registered

Peripheral Vascular Disease Group registered

Centro Cochrane Italiano (Italian Cochrane Centre) registered

Oral Health Group registered

Schizophrenia Group registered

Publication of Cochrane Collaboration Handbook

Release of Version 1 of Review Manager (RevMan) software

Infectious Diseases Group registered

First meeting of Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Australasian Cochrane Centre registered

Funds awarded by the European Union to the Cochrane Centres in Europe "to identify reports of controlled trials in general health care journals in Europe"

US National Library of Medicine agrees to improve the identification of controlled trials by re tagging MEDLINE records using information provided by The Cochrane Collaboration

Formal launch of The Cochrane Collaboration at the 1st Cochrane Colloquium, in Oxford, UK

Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group nominated and appointed by participants at the 1st Colloquium

Nordic Cochrane Centre registered

Baltimore Cochrane Center registered (changed to New England Cochrane Center at Providence and subsequently to United States Cochrane Center in December 2002)

Collaboration in Primary Health Care Field registered (changed to Primary Health Care Field in August 2004)

Stroke Group registered

Canadian Cochrane Centre registered

First Cochrane Centre renamed 'The UK Cochrane Centre'

Concept of The Cochrane Collaboration presented at a conference ('Doing more good than harm') organised by Kenneth Warren and Frederic Mosteller at the New York Academy of Sciences

Update Software reissues The Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials (ODPT) as a redesigned pilot electronic journal entitled The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Database (CCPC)

Neonatal Group registered

Additional funds to promote the mission of the Cochrane Centre pledged by the Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust and the Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care

'The Cochrane Centre' opens in Oxford, UK

Pregnancy and Childbirth Group registered

Subfertility Group registered

Meeting at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, Canada of Iain Chalmers, Gordon Guyatt, Brian Haynes, Andy Oxman, Jeremy Wyatt and eight others to establish basic principles for a global organisation to "support the fledgling Cochrane Centre".

Encouraged by the reception given to the systematic reviews of care during pregnancy and childbirth, Michael Peckham, first Director of Research & Development in the British National Health Service, approves funding for 'a Cochrane Centre' "to facilitate the preparation of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials of health care"

Publication of Effective Care of the Newborn Infant (ECNI)

Maintenance of systematic reviews of controlled trials of perinatal care in 6-monthly disk issues of an electronic journal, The Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials (ODPT)

Output of collaborative work begins with publication of: Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth (ECPC),
A Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth (GECPC), and
The Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials (ODPT)

International collaboration to prepare systematic reviews of controlled trials in pregnancy and childbirth and the neonatal period

Publication of classified bibliography of 3500 reports of controlled trials in perinatal medicine published between 1940 and 1984

US Public Health Service and English Department of Health fund work in Oxford and Baltimore to identify unpublished controlled trials in perinatal medicine and to investigate publication bias

Archie Cochrane publishes an essay in which he suggests that "It is surely a great criticism of our profession that we have not organised a critical summary, by specialty or subspecialty, adapted periodically, of all relevant randomised controlled trials." He also designates obstetrics the least scientific medical specialty!

World Health Organization and UK Department of Health fund work at National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Oxford, UK to assemble a register of controlled trials in perinatal medicine

Outline plans drafted in Cardiff, Wales, UK for systematic reviews of controlled trials in perinatal medicine

Identification of controlled trials in perinatal medicine begins in Cardiff, Wales, UK

Publication of Archie Cochrane's Effectiveness and Efficiency: random reflections on health services (temporarily out of print; new edition scheduled for early 2013), which drew attention to our collective ignorance about the effects of health care