Developing & registering the protocol
An evidence synthesis protocol states your rationale, hypothesis, and planned methodology. Much like a blueprint for a house, a protocol outlines the planned framework for the evidence synthesis. Members of the team use the protocol as a guide to conduct the research. Your protocol helps to maintain focus for the team as you move through the process, and can help facilitate the screening stages. If you are working with a librarian, the protocol documents parameters of your research and will help them in developing the search. Finally, when you come to writing your research, the work put into the protocol will help expedite the process.
It is recommended that you register your protocol prior to conducting your review. This will improve transparency and reproducibility, reduce bias, and will also ensure that other research teams do not duplicate your efforts. You should also be sure to search the following databases, as well as subject repositories, for any existing registrations before starting your project. The PRISMA statement includes the extension PRISMA-P with protocol reporting guidelines.
Depending on the nature of your question you will need to use different options for registering.
- PROSPERO accepts registrations of systematic reviews, rapid reviews and umbrella reviews with a health outcome. It does not accept registration of scoping reviews. Topics may be in health and social care, welfare, public health, education, crime, justice, and international development, where there is a health related outcome. The template for PROSPERO registrations is available as a PDF for planning before registering online.
- OSF Registries is an open access database for preregistering research across a range of methods, including evidence synthesis. There is no peer review. The Secondary Data Analysis template is the best match for evidence synthesis. To learn more, explore the template as well as the OSF Registries help page
- OSF or other open repository. You may also select to register in a subject branded repository, or create an OSF Project and include the registration there. This template is designed for evidence synthesis and may be used when the repository doesn't require their own template. Also consider this template for synthesis of non-intervention studies