Looking for systematic reviews? Go straight to the Cochrane Library

What is it?

The Cochrane Library publishes analysis and reviews of research studies looking at the same problems, in order to combine the research to develop a consensus view. Reviewers perform a detailed systematic search of the literature to identify good quality studies to investigate and draw valid conclusions from. Their conclusions are published as a systematic review of the particular medical problem.

Systematic Reviews will give you an overview of the literature and current research on a topic.

How to Access…

Who is it for?

The Cochrane Library is freely available on the Internet within the UK, accessible to everyone.

Log in

No login is required.

Key Features

Databases

The Cochrane Library includes the following databases:

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews – full-text of reviews and protocols prepared by the Cochrane review Groups.
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials – reports and bibliographic data of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials.
Cochrane Clinical Answers – easy-to-read short answers to clinical problems, to support clinical decision-making, based on systematic reviews.

Browse

You can browse through the available systematic reviews either by healthcare topic or by content produced by each Cochrane Review Group.

Search

You can use the simple search box to enter your search terms. Your results will be presented with a tab for each different type of content. You can use filter options to focus your search.

Presentation of example Search Results

Advanced Search

You can use the Advanced Search options to create a search strategy within the Search Manager. This allows you to develop individual search rows, use the thesaurus and combine searches.

Evidently Cochrane – the Cochrane Library Blog

Evidently Cochrane is a blog published by the Cochrane Library. Here you can find discussions about the latest systematic reviews on a range of healthcare topics. Topics are divided into categories, which also include Evidence for Everyday Midwifery and Evidence for Everyday Nursing. The blog is freely available online.

More Help

You can find more help on the using the Cochrane Library in the Online Guides and Support section of our website.

You might like to try our sway presentation Searching Cochrane Library for Systematic Reviews which includes videos.

Comments

Hot topic! Hantavirus

With the cruise ship in port and the travellers heading home the Hantavirus outbreak has been in the news recently. Learn more about this disease from library resources. Check these resources for an overview, key points, diagnosis, treatment options, follow-up and more. [You will need your NHS OpenAthens username to access these resources] BMJ Best Practice – Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome Oxford Medicine Online – Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in Clinical Infectious Disease (3 rd ed) Selected articles from our journal collection Critical care management of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. A narrative review , Journal of Critical Care , Ulloa-Morrison, Rodrigo; Pavez, Nicolas; Parra, Esteban; Lopez, Rene; Mondaca, Roberto; Fernandez, Paula; Kraunik, David; Sanhueza, Claudia; Bravo, Sebastian; Cornu, Matias Germán; Kattan, Eduardo, Vol. 84, p. 154867, 2024. Hantavirus in humans: a review of clinical aspects and management , The Lancet Infectious Dis...

Hot Topic! Ebola

News about the ebola virus continues, including this article from the BBC about healthcare workers Ebola outbreak: How health workers are treating patients and staying safe in DR Congo - BBC News Check these resources for an overview, key points, diagnosis, treatment options, follow-up and more. [You will need your NHS OpenAthens username to access these resources] BMJ Best Practice – Ebola disease Clinical Key (available to UHNM only) – Ebola Virus Disease Cochrane Library systematic reviews – Interventions to support the resilience and mental health of frontline health and social care professionals during and after a disease outbreak, epidemic or pandemic: a mixed methods systematic review (2020) Oxford Medicine Online – Chapter Emerging infectious diseases in Oxford textbook of health protection: principles and practice (2026) Patient Information Ebola [BMJ BP] Ebola virus infection: what to know [Clinical Key] Selected articles from our journal collection Combining v...

Article integrity checks for NHS staff

Want to have extra quality and integrity checks for the articles you find? Use library NHS resources and get warnings if the article you're reading fails integrity checks. NHS resources use LibKey to easily point you to subscribed resources. Now LibKey also does a number of integrity checks to help you feel confident with the articles you find. You’ll get warnings about: Retracted articles Retracted article citation (where an article includes references to articles which have been retracted) Expression of concern for the article (where publishers have concerns about some aspect of a published article) Problematic publishers information Warnings are presented at point of access whether from article links in databases or on the web via LibKey Nomad. Make sure you use library resources so that you are using LibKey links and integrity checks. For more help please contact the eresources librarian c.kent@keele.ac.uk

Information Skills for Health

Search This Blog