A protocol is a detailed outline and guiding document for your review. It outlines the rationale, research question, and methods before the review begins. A registered a priori protocol (in advance of the work) is a requirement for many publishers and a recommendation of others.
Defines methods before selection and analysis to minimize bias.
Clarifies review methods, supports reproducibility, and facilitates citation and feedback through protocol registration.
A clear plan streamlines the review process, prevents scope drift, and reduces redundancy.
Identifying Information includes:
Introduction
Narrative description of background and rationale for review
Review question that includes all elements within the selected framework described in detail
Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Consider:
Population characteristics
Types of interventions and comparators
Outcomes of interest
Study designs (e.g., RCTs, cohort, qualitative)
Justifications for exclusions
Recall that exclusions are exceptions to inclusion criteria (not just stated opposites of inclusion criteria)
How many reviewers will be involved in
Title/abstract screening
Full-text selection of studies
Data extraction
How will disagreements be settled at each phase?
How will citations/studies be divided? (division of labor within team)
List out characteristics that will be extracted from studies
What software will be used? (i. e. Covidence, Rayyan)
Planned methods for data synthesis: meta-analysis, narrative synthesis, subgroup analysis
How heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses will be addressed
