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What is Cochrane Membership?
Cochrane relies on the contribution of time and skills by volunteers, who work with our authors, Review Groups, Fields and Geographical Centres to produce and promote Cochrane evidence. The Cochrane Membership scheme was launched in 2017, to recognise and reward the wide variety of ways in which people contribute to Cochrane’s work. Membership is offered to all our core contributors, including patients, carers and family members ('Cochrane Consumers') who give their time as volunteers. For example, this could include commenting on a draft Cochrane review as a consumer peer reviewer, writing a blog post to promote Cochrane’s work, or volunteering at a Cochrane event. Please see our Membership Thresholds for further information.
Becoming a Cochrane Member allows you to:
- Join a network of like-minded contributors
- Develop new skills and interests
- See your ongoing contributions recorded and recognised
- Receive discounts for Cochrane’s annual conference and Interactive Learning online training course
- Influence the future of Cochrane by voting in Governing Board elections and resolutions at the Annual General Meeting
Who are Cochrane’s Members and Supporters?
Our members and supporters come from all over the world. Anyone interested in Cochrane’s work can sign up to Join Cochrane. Your journey begins as a supporter with a Cochrane Account. You graduate from supporter to member status based on your contributions to Cochrane’s work. On average, one in ten people involved with Cochrane earn Cochrane Membership. So if you do become a Cochrane Member, you really are one of the core contributors at the heart of our organisation.
How can I become a Cochrane Member?
As you contribute to Cochrane, you earn membership points. Different contributions and the points they earn are outlined in the consumer section of this contributions table. If you earn over 1,000 points within 12 months, this will grant one year’s membership.
Consumer peer review contributions are automatically added to your profile in the membership database. When you earn points by submitting peer review feedback, you will be offered membership automatically – look out for an email asking you to activate your membership. As you continue to contribute on an ongoing basis, your membership will also be renewed automatically.
How can I make sure Cochrane recognises my contributions?
If you contribute to Cochrane in any way other than offering consumer peer review feedback, please email membership@cochrane.org and we can add this contribution to your profile in the membership database to ensure your work is recognised. We can also award membership points for historic contributions, so please let us know if you have a track record of working with Cochrane. We would love to reward both new and long-standing contributors with membership.
If your work with Cochrane is not listed in our contributions table, please email membership@cochrane.org and let us know, so that we can broaden the range of contributions that we recognise and reward.
How can I track my contributions to Cochrane?
You can track your contributions to Cochrane on the Contributions tab in your Cochrane Account. When you earn membership, you can also download your Membership certificate from the Membership tab.
