What is a Protocol?
A review protocol provides the rationale, hypothesis or goal or questions, and methods for a literature review. It can be registered before the review begins. Protocols are typically developed for systematic and scoping reviews. They are not commonly seen for narrative or integrative revie
If you have a specific target journal in mind, refer to their author instructions to see if registration of a protocol is a required.
Elements of a protocol
- Team members
- Background literature, objectives and rationale
- Review Question
- Eligibility criteria
- Databases and keywords and/or search terms
- Search strategies
- Study selection screening
- Methods for data extraction and assessment
- Data synthesis
- Timeframe
Protocol Development Tools
- Evidence Synthesis Protocol Template - prepare a protocol for various evidence syntheses
- Planning Worksheet for Structured Literature Review - checklist for items to ensure reproducibility, transparency, and reduction of bias
- PRISMA Checklist - minimum set of reporting items including methods, results, discussion, etc.
About Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility criteria outlines the study/publication characteristics that are required for inclusion you the review.
- Date/Timeframe
- Exposure of Interest
- Geographic location(s)
- Language
- Population/Participants
- Peer Review
- Outcomes
- Setting
- Study design
- Type of publication(s)
INCLUSION CRITERIA
Specify the characteristics that must be present for selected studies. These could include specifics of an intervention, comparators, types of studies, timeframe, population, etc.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA
Specify characteristics that would disqualify the study from the review. These could be types of study methodology, certain publication types (case study, editorial, etc.), incompatible population, language, etc.