Some terms and phrases are commonly used in Cochrane documents. The way in which these should be presented is shown below. See also Names specific to Cochrane.
Correct usage |
Incorrect usage |
care giver or caregiver (be consistent) |
care-giver |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |
Centers for Disease Control |
Chi2 statistic |
Chi-squared test or statistic |
cluster-randomized trial | cluster randomized trial |
a computer-generated image the image was computer generated |
a computer generated image the image was computer-generated |
controlled before-and-after trials |
controlled before and after trials |
cross-over study/trial |
cross over study/trial or crossover study/trial |
double-blind Note: also single-blind, triple-blind |
double blind Note: also single blind, triple blind |
dropout Note: the verb form is 'drop out’ without hyphenation |
drop-out |
e-learning
Note: at start of sentence use 'E-learning' with an intial capital
|
elearning e learning |
end point or endpoint Note: 'time point' should be written as two separate words (see below) |
end-point |
evidence base e.g. Production of a robust systematic review can contribute to the evidence base ... |
evidence-base |
evidence-based e.g. evidence-based medicine |
evidence based |
false positive (noun) e.g. The result was a false positive. false-positive (adjective) e.g. The false-positive result was misleading. Note: follow this guidance for true positive, false negative, and true negative (nouns) and true-positive, false-negative, and true-negative (adjectives). |
— |
fixed-effect model Note: compared with random-effects model Note: there is also a fixed-effects model (i.e. when the pool of studies is assumed to be fixed and only provides an estimate of the average of the effects of just these studies, without aiming at generalization to future studies), but this would rarely be appropriate for a Cochrane Review. If used it should be clearly indicated to avoid being changed to fixed-effect model. |
fixed effect model
|
follow up (verb) or follow-up (adjective or noun) e.g. 'Seven participants were followed up for 10 days.' (verb) e.g. 'The follow-up period was 10 weeks.' (adjective) e.g. 'The follow-up was shorter than expected.' (noun) |
— |
forest plot Note: for further information, see Lewis S, Clarke M. Forest plots: trying to see the wood and the trees. BMJ 2001;322(7300):1479-80. |
forrest plot |
GRADE
More recently, GRADE assessments refer to ‘certainty’, rather than ‘quality’. Use the terminology consistent with the GRADE guidance of software you are using, and in ‘Summary of findings’ tables, use the corresponding wording for the grades of evidence (see below). For certainty: GRADE Working Group grades of evidence For quality: GRADE Working Group grades of evidence Note: for further information, see The GRADE Working Group clarifies the construct of certainty of evidence. See also: Handbook version 6, chapter 14. |
|
'Gram' should be capitalized and not hyphenated when used as Gram stain; gram negative and gram positive should be lowercase and only hyphenated when used as a unit modifier. e.g. Gram staining e.g. the bacteria were gram negative e.g. gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria |
Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria gram positive and gram negative bacteria gram staining showed ... |
handsearch e.g. We handsearched three journals. e.g. The handsearching process ... |
hand search |
health care (noun) or healthcare (adjective) e.g. 'The healthcare centre is nearby.' (adjective) e.g. 'The health care was satisfactory.' (noun) |
— |
I2 statistic |
I-squared statistic |
intention-to-treat analysis |
intention to treat analysis |
internet or Internet (be consistent) |
— |
low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries Note: see the classifications of all countries according to their economies on the World Bank websitea |
developing countries |
multiple-drug resistance |
multidrug resistance |
number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome |
number-needed-to-treat-for-an-additional-beneficial-outcome number needed to treat to benefit |
number needed to treat for an additional harmful outcome |
number-needed-to-treat-for-an-additional-harmful-outcome number needed to treat to harm |
online |
on-line |
open-label |
open label |
participant or person; participants or people Note: use participant (for people participating in any trials/studies mentioned in the review) or person instead of subject or patient, unless it changes the meaning of the text (e.g. people with ulcers rather than patients with ulcers). If trials are exclusively concerned with a single population, such as children or women, use children or women instead of participants.
|
— |
per cent Note: also see ‘percentage sign’ in General guidance on the use of punctuation |
percent |
preoperative perioperative postoperative |
pre-operative or pre operative peri-operative or peri operative post-operative or post operative |
quality: low-quality (adjective) moderate-quality (adjective) high-quality (adjective) e.g. high-quality evidence |
low quality (adjective) moderate quality (adjective) high quality (adjective) |
random-effects model |
random effects model |
regimen |
regime |
risk of bias e.g. We assessed the risk of bias in the included studies. ‘
Risk of bias’ assessment e.g. We completed a 'Risk of bias' assessment. ‘Risk of bias’ table e.g. We present our judgements in 'Risk of bias' tables. |
e.g. We assessed the ‘risk of bias’ in the included studies. Risk of bias assessment, Risk-of-bias assessment, ‘risk of bias’ assessment, RoB assessment
Risk of bias table, Risk-of-bias table, ‘risk of bias’ table, RoB table |
short-term or long-term (adjective) e.g. short-term follow-up was three months short term or long term (noun) e.g. outcomes that occurred in the short term |
— |
‘Summary of findings’ table Note: use in same way as 'Risk of bias' above |
Summary of findings table |
subgroup |
sub-group |
Tau2 |
Tau-squared |
text word |
textword |
timepoint |
|
time-to-event analysis/data |
time to event analysis/data |
wait list or wait-list control (US English) waiting list or waiting-list control (UK English) |
waitlist, wait list control waiting-list, waiting list control |
website |
web site |
well-being |
well being |
white (adjective) e.g. The white participants … |
white (noun) Note: avoid 'Caucasian' unless there is a specific reason to use it. See the section on ethnic group names. |
world wide web or World Wide Web (be consistent) |
— |
World Health Organization |
World Health Organisation |