Cochrane launches its COVID-19 Study Register – a one-stop shop for primary research studies on COVID-19.

Cochrane launched its COVID-19 Study Register today, providing a one-stop shop for primary research studies on COVID-19. The aim of the register is to support rapid evidence synthesis by all systematic review producers, including Cochrane's work on Rapid Reviews in response to COVID-19. The register helps systematic reviewers prioritize topics, identify available evidence, and produce urgently needed reviews for front-line health professionals, public health policymakers, and research teams developing new therapeutic, diagnostic, and preventive interventions for COVID-19.

The new COVID-19 Study Register will be continually updated with human studies on COVID-19. It is the latest initiative by Cochrane, a global network of health-researchers, producing high-quality, relevant, and up-to-date synthesized research evidence in response to COVID-19.

Within weeks of launch, the COVID-19 Study Register, which already consists of more than 1,200 studies, will develop with more study references from additional sources, including the addition of PICO metadata to enhance discoverability of the studies in the register. It will also develop new features such as surveillance alerts to assist identification of evidence arising from the growing global response of ongoing health research about COVID-19.

'This is a huge stride forward in providing a place for rapid evidence synthesis', said Cochrane’s Editor in Chief, Dr Karla Soares-Weiser. 'Cochrane has launched a critically important study-based register that clearly states the eligibility criteria and sources we are currently running through our centralised search and initial curation processes. The primary use case for this register is to support evidence synthesis efforts such as living systematic reviews, living network meta-analyses, and rapid reviews, all fed by living guidance related to COVID-19.’

'The curation of this Study Register has been an important effort achieved in the past few weeks, led by Cochrane’s central executive team working rapidly with our development partners, Data Language and Metaxis.'

'Cochrane has been working for several years on technological solutions and processes to improve efficiency in evidence synthesis and move toward a ‘living evidence ecosystem’ model,’ Cochrane’s Head of Information Technology, Chief Information Officer and project lead, Chris Mavergames says. ‘COVID-19 presents a formidable challenge, and we will use our data curation and synthesis tools to assist in rapidly addressing the most important questions for global decision-makers. This Study Register represents a key pillar in that effort.'

• Find out more about Cochrane’s Study Register

• Access the Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register