The protocol is a published plan that describes the objectives and methods you will follow for your review.
Before you write your protocol and to ensure the uniqueness of your review, you should search the registers of completed and ongoing studies. Below, are some suggested starting-points for your searches.
When designing your protocol, refer to the reporting guidance for your type of review, to ensure that you do not forgot to include something in the initial stages that you are expected to report at the end. For example, the PRISMA website has a minimum set of 27 items that should be reported, including the methods and results.
PRISMA stands for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. PRISMA is designed for reviews that evaluate randomized trials, although it can be used to report systematic reviews of other types of research, particularly evaluations of interventions.
It is recommended that you add your final protocol to a register to raise awareness among researchers. PROSPERO is just one register you might want to consider:
The Library of the University of Melbourne provides a helpful infographic about common inclusion or exclusion criteria.
Module 2 in Cochrane Interactive Learning provides advice about the key components and structure of a protocol. The Library is subscribing to Cochrane Interactive Learning.
