title: The origins, evolution, and future of The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
abstract: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) evolved in response to Archie Cochrane's challenge to the medical profession to assemble "a critical summary, adapted periodically, of all ... relevant randomized controlled trials". CDSR has been an electronic publication from its inception and this has meant that Cochrane reviews (i) need not be constrained by lack of space; (ii) can be updated as new information becomes available and when mistakes or other ways of improving them are identified; and (iii) can be cross-linked to other, related sources of relevant information. Although CDSR has become widely cited, it must continue to evolve in the light of technological and methodological developments, and in response to the needs of people making decisions about health care.
authors.affiliation: Update Software Ltd., Oxford OX2 7LG, UK. mstarr@update.co.uk
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Starr
authors.forename: Iain
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Oxman
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036801:Parturition; D018743:Perinatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic