How do we write these blogs?

We started Evidently Cochrane in September 2012. Three years later it won the UK Blog Award for Best Health Blog and we continue to build on our success.

Page last updated: 1 October 2020

Our bloggers

Evidently Cochrane is edited by Sarah Chapman and Selena Ryan-Vig, Cochrane UK’s Knowledge Brokers. Most of our ‘in-house’ blogs are written by Sarah, and we also have blogs from our Fellows. We also invite blogs, and contributions to blogs, from healthcare professionals, researchers, patients and others with relevant expertise and experience, sharing their experience and expertise alongside the evidence, which is most often from Cochrane Reviews.

When are the blogs published?

Blogs are published weekly, most often on a Friday. We will continue to have blogs at other times to tie in with special events or the publication of high-profile and newsworthy reviews. We also have occasional special series, with multiple blogs and other resources on one broad topic published over one month.

What are the blogs about?

Most of the weekly blogs focus on one health topic and feature Cochrane Reviews. We choose reviews to blog on the basis that there is new evidence to share, or they are relevant to health topics being discussed in the media, featured in health awareness events, or to one of our special series. We prioritise health concerns which are relevant (though not limited) to the UK population.  We have a keen interest in the use of social media to share and discuss evidence and include occasional blogs on this. We also have blogs exploring the concepts underpinning evidence-based health care.

We have blog series on nursing, maternity care, and allied health for health professionals and clinical support staff. We also have a series for anyone making health choices and two for people wanting to understand more about evidence and its principles: Understanding Evidence and “Oh Really? 12 things to help you question health advice”.

What can you expect from the blogs?

The blogs vary in format but generally aim to set the evidence in context and you will often find experience and other reflections shared alongside the evidence. The blogs make it clear what information comes from the Cochrane Reviews or other research and what is opinion-based. We also make sure we tell you about the quality of the evidence and highlight problems with it, as this is really important to know when using evidence to inform decisions. Cochrane Reviews do not contain recommendations for practice, but sometimes blogs may refer to recommendations from clinical guidelines and the source should be clear.  Links to full reviews and other sources mentioned are given within the blog and/or at the end.

Since they are blogs, they are not peer-reviewed or checked by consumers.

Up-to-date evidence

Cochrane Reviews are regularly updated to take account of new evidence and we will update the blogs when this happens to ensure that they reflect the latest version of the review.

We are keen to hear your views so do leave a comment at the end of the blog or chat with us on Twitter, where you can follow us @CochraneUK.



How do we write these blogs? by Sarah Chapman

is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

5 Comments on this post

  1. I forwarded your “knowledge broker” article to the actual Cochrane Review Board.

    You are not skilled enough to be making the bold statements and declarations about various pharmaceuticals and your comments and articles may prove dangerous for your readers.

    Victoria Grant / Reply
  2. I believe your article regarding OCD actually conflict with research from the Cochrane Reports. You referenced documents from 2007 and 2008 regarding SSRIs and CBT and opinion regarding the benefits of SSRIs has changed and several SSRI’s are viewed in a negative light right now.

    Your references are too dated to be making bold statements about the use of certain pharmaceuticals.

    Victoria Grant / Reply
  3. I am really interested on your view of Mental health nursing and how little of anything goes through blogs such as thsi- i would really like to develop this within our trust and wondering could you assist.?

    john paul rogers / Reply
  4. Tweet new updates as reported in a Cochrane
    Blog on topical issues as led by twitter forums (i am a midwife)
    Target audience (we nurses or we midwives) etc happy to discuss
    Deirdre 00353876793816
    PhD student midwifery [CPCG / NUI Galway Ireland

    Deirdre Munro / Reply
    • Thanks for your suggestions Deirdre. We’re always looking for ways to improve what we do and to share our evidence more widely. We really like it when people talk to us too! Thinking about Twitter forums, do you mean things like the @WeMidwives tweet chats or are there other communities and conversations you think we should connect with? I’d welcome suggestions. We had a tweetchat with @WeNurses in the spring, following the blog on pressure ulcers, which was great.
      Sarah

      Sarah Chapman / (in reply to Deirdre Munro) Reply

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