Evidence Synthesis, Systematic Review Services : Register Your Protocol

By creating a protocol, not only does the team have a plan of action, they also have minimized the risk for bringing subjectivity and inconsistency into the review process. Protocols should also be registered and published in a registry as a means to publicize the team’s intent to conduct the review.

This is considered a best practice as it can reduce duplication of effort by other researchers intending to conduct a similar review project, and allow for peer-review of the project’s methodology.  Some journals may require that a systematic review manuscript submission have a registered protocol before considering the manuscript for publication.