title: Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement.
abstract: Systematic reviews should build on a protocol that describes the rationale, hypothesis, and planned methods of the review; few reviews report whether a protocol exists. Detailed, well-described protocols can facilitate the understanding and appraisal of the review methods, as well as the detection of modifications to methods and selective reporting in completed reviews. We describe the development of a reporting guideline, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols 2015 (PRISMA-P 2015). PRISMA-P consists of a 17-item checklist intended to facilitate the preparation and reporting of a robust protocol for the systematic review. Funders and those commissioning reviews might consider mandating the use of the checklist to facilitate the submission of relevant protocol information in funding applications. Similarly, peer reviewers and editors can use the guidance to gauge the completeness and transparency of a systematic review protocol submitted for publication in a journal or other medium.
authors.affiliation: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. dmoher@ohri.ca.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moher
authors.forename: Larissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shamseer
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Davina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ghersi
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liberati
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petticrew
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shekelle
authors.forename: Lesley A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D057189:Checklist; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D011643:Publishing / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D011786:Quality Control; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic