title: Publication of reviews synthesizing child health evidence (PORSCHE): a survey of authors to identify factors associated with publication in Cochrane and non-Cochrane sources.
abstract: Cochrane Child Health maintains a register of child-relevant Cochrane systematic reviews (SRs) to provide a comprehensive source of high-quality evidence. However, a large number of SRs are published outside of The Cochrane Collaboration (Cochrane), impacting the comprehensiveness of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR). We surveyed authors who published child-relevant SRs with Cochrane and elsewhere in the medical literature to (1) understand their experiences in preparing and publishing SRs and (2) identify factors influencing choice of publication venue.
  
  
  
  We identified SRs published in the CDSR for the most recent complete year prior to our study (2013; n = 145). We searched the medical literature and randomly selected the same number of SRs published the same year. We developed an internet-based survey and contacted the corresponding author of each review via email. Data were analyzed descriptively. Qualitative analysis elicited common themes from open-ended questions.
  
  
  
  Seventy-six (26 %) responded: 41 % Cochrane, 42 % non-Cochrane, and 17 % published in both venues. Among respondents who published their SR in both venues (n = 13), 46 % found it easier to publish in a non-Cochrane journal, 15 % easier with Cochrane, and 31 % similar. Main reasons for conducting SRs with Cochrane (n = 44) were Cochrane's positive reputation (82 %) and good impact factor (66 %). Among respondents who published their SR in a non-Cochrane journal (n = 32), most frequent reasons for not conducting their SR with Cochrane were time required to follow Cochrane processes (25 %), lack of knowledge about how to conduct an SR with Cochrane (19 %), administrative processes (16 %), and perception that non-Cochrane journals yielded more interest (16 %). Among respondents who published their SR in a non-Cochrane journal (n = 32), 78 % did not register their review and 22 % did not prepare a protocol.
  
  
  
  Key reasons for publishing in Cochrane are its positive reputation and impact factor. Reasons for publishing in non-Cochrane sources include lack of familiarity or challenges with the Cochrane processes and desire to publish in a source more directly relevant to the topic of interest. End users looking for evidence in the form of SRs need to be aware that there is a vast number of SRs published across the medical literature. Efforts to optimize the identification of SRs in non-Cochrane sources (e.g., through effective labeling or protocol/review registration) and their content will help end users find the necessary synthesized evidence to support clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Cochrane Child Health, University of Alberta, ECHA 4-472, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada. hartling@ualberta.ca.|Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence, University of Alberta, ECHA 4-472, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada. hartling@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hartling
authors.affiliation: Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence, University of Alberta, ECHA 4-472, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada.
authors.forename: Kassi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shave
authors.affiliation: Cochrane Child Health, University of Alberta, ECHA 4-472, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.affiliation: Cochrane Child Health, Cochrane Portugal, Department of Pediatrics and Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Lisbon Academic Medical Centre, Instituto de Medicina Molecular and University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.|Department of Pediatrics, Santa Maria Hospital, Lisbon Academic Medical Centre and Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ricardo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Cochrane Child Health, University of Alberta, ECHA 4-472, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada.|Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence, University of Alberta, ECHA 4-472, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada.
authors.forename: Aireen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wingert
authors.affiliation: Cochrane Child Health, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital and Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.|Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Developmental Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne and Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D001319:Authorship; D015706:Bibliometrics; D002648:Child; D000067576:Child Health; D035081:Editorial Policies; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D055811:Journal Impact Factor; D011643:Publishing; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Cochrane Collaboration; Publication; Survey; Systematic reviews