Cochrane Style Manual

The Cochrane Style Manual helps authors and editors apply a consistent style across Cochrane Reviews and other Cochrane content. Cochrane copy-editors use this Style Manual to apply the Cochrane journal style when working on protocols and reviews before publication. See About this manual for more.

Cochrane Style Basics is a summary of the main style points.

For recent updates, see Latest changes.

Suggestions for additions or changes can be sent to production@cochrane.org.

Section info
Contact
Elizabeth Royle (production@cochrane.org)
Describe change
Headings and symbols
Change date
8 September 2023
Abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms

When to use abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms | Formatting abbreviations | Common abbreviations | Abbreviations to avoid

Cochrane Review specific

Content, structure, and format | Titles | Abstracts | Author contact details |  Plain language
summaries | Headings | Tense | Search methods | Tables | Figures | Software

Formatting

Character formatting: bold; italic; underline; subscript and superscript | Indentation | Ligatures | Lists: within paragraphs; bulleted and ordered lists | Paragraph break | Symbols and special characters | Website addresses

Grammar, punctuation and writing style

Active and passive voice | Adjectives as nouns | And/or | Compared to/compared with | Prefixes | Punctuation | Simple and accessible English | Tautology | Tenses | Upper-case letters | Verbs: single or plural

International considerations

Country names: general guidance; specific examples; abbreviations; further resources | Currency | English language: regional differences | Ethnic group names

Names, common terms and terminology

Names: frequently used; specific to Cochrane; family names; pharmaceutical drugs; organisms; viruses; countries and ethnic groups | Common terms and terminology

Numbers, statistics, and units

Numbers: overview; numbers and ordered events less than 10; exceptions; numbers with five or more digits; ranges of numbers; number hyphenation; large numbers | Statistical and mathematical presentation | Units and systems of measurement: standard units; commonly used units; prefixes for SI units; SI units general guidance

References

Entering and citing references in Cochrane Reviews | Reference fields | Reference types: overview; journal articles; Cochrane publications; conference proceedings; books, monographs, theses, dissertations; other reference types | Differences between Cochrane and NLM style

About this manual

Using the manual | Revising the manual | Contributors | Latest changes | What's new (2016)

Cochrane Style Basics

Cochrane Style Basics (PDF)