Research Guides: Systematic Reviews: Crafting the Research Protocol

Your protocol is an important part of the evidence synthesis process. It acts as a framework and guideline for your study. It should include:

Personnel information (research team)
Background information
Methods:
- research question
- inclusion/exclusion criteria
- selected databases and gray literature
- a sample search strategy
- data management and extraction plan
- data synthesis plan

Protocol Guidelines

PRISMA-P
(Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols)
PRISMA-P Checklist
PRISMA for Scoping Reviews
Protocol Template
Based on PRISMA Guidelines, this template was created and shared by Kate Ghezzi-Kopel and Jaron Porciello, Cornell University.

Sharing your Protocol

To help with transparency and accountability of your review, it is important that your protocol be registered and/or shared with other researchers. There are various avenues available through which to register:

Campbell Collaboration
Appropriate for the social sciences
Cochrane Collaboration
Appropriate for health sciences
Open Science Framework
Appropriate for any discipline
PROSPERO
Appropriate for any discipline