In Cochrane’s new role system, there is just one Core role type. In addition to having a Core role, a person can be assigned as a “leader” and/or an “admin”.

 

An example of a Core role:

Role held by: Gandalf Grey	☑ Leader
Group: Cochrane New Zealand	☐ Admin
Start date: 1/1/2020	Declaration of Interest: submitted 4/7/2024

 

Who requires a Core role?

Any person whose involvement with your group requires a Declaration of Interest must have a Core role. View the COI portal for more information about Conflict of Interest policies.

For Thematic Groups, Fields, Geographical Groups, Methods Groups, Cochrane Review Groups, Evidence Synthesis Units, Translation Projects, and the Central Executive Team:

• A person in your Group should have a Core role if they are doing any of the following:
  • Supporting authors with development of content for the Cochrane Library;
  • Making decisions about priority setting;
  • Handling personal data of people contributing to your group;
  • Running training on behalf of your group;
  • Communicating or dissemination evidence on behalf of your group, e.g. webinars, blog posts, newsletter contributions;
  • Is a paid staff member of your group.

• Adding a Leader element to a Core role will allow the Central Executive Team to know who to contact with information relevant to group leaders. People with the Leader element added to their Core role are also displayed as such on the organizational declarations of interest list. Anyone with leadership responsibilities in the group should have the Leader element added to their Core role.
• Adding an Admin element to a Core role allows the central team to know who to contact about keeping group roles up to date.

For the Governing Board, Editorial Board, CESM Editorial Board, Cochrane Library Oversight Committee:

• All members of these groups should have a Core role in that group.

Authors, peer reviewers, and other volunteers should not have a Core role unless they are also doing one or more of the activities above.

 

The table below summarizes who should have a Core role.

Group Type	What do I do with this group?	What role is needed?	What other elements are needed?
Governing Board Editorial Board Cochrane Library Oversight Committee	Member	Core	n/a
Thematic Group Review Group Methods Group Field Geographic Group Evidence Synthesis Unit Translation Project Central Executive Team	Leadership / management responsibilities	Core	Leader
	Responsible for allocating roles to people in the group	Core	Admin
	Any of the following: Supporting authors with development of content for the Cochrane Library; Making decisions about priority setting Handling personal data of people contributing to your group Running training on behalf of your group Communicating or dissemination evidence on behalf of your group, e.g. webinars, blog posts, newsletter contributions Is a paid staff member of your group	Core	n/a
	All of the above	Core	Leader Admin
	Author or peer reviewer on a Cochrane Review	None	n/a
	Potential volunteer	None	n/a

 

Why does a person need a role?

Assigning a Core role to people working with your group gives them access to many resources, including:

• Cochrane Interactive Learning (no need to pay the normal subscription fee)
• Induction resources
• Role-based Membership
• Community Slack for peer-to-peer discussions
• Monthly Core Staff Digest

 

How are roles given?

Group roles can no longer be given to people without their agreement. People will be sent invitations to take up a role, and a person needs to accept or decline the invitation.

See “Managing my group’s roles” for more details.

 

How are Core roles linked to Cochrane’s Conflict of Interest Policy?

Anyone with a Core role is required to complete a Declaration of Interest every year.

When a person accepts a Core role, they will be required to complete their Declaration of Interest. Approximately 11 months after they complete their Declaration of Interest, they will be sent an email reminding them to check and update it. If they fail to complete this, after reasonable reminders, Cochrane will remove their Core role and permissions to access certain Cochrane systems (other than normal access that any Cochrane Account holder would have). A person can request reinstatement at any point, and they must then complete a new Declaration of Interest within a week of the Core role being reinstated.

 

Where can I see what roles I hold?

An individual can see their own roles in their Cochrane Account. If they notice any role that has expired they can ask the group to remove it, or if the group is no longer operating they can contact support@cochrane.org to ask for this to be removed.

If a person has chosen to be visible in on Cochrane Engage, their roles are included on their profile page.

 

How can I see what people have a Core role in a specific group?

Groups will be able to see all the people with a Core role on their COI portal page.

This page is publicly available, so anyone can view it as part of Cochrane’s commitment to Research Integrity.

People with leadership responsibilities are listed at the top of each group’s listing.