An introduction to the Cochrane Style Guide

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An introduction to the Cochrane Style Guide
Manchester 2005 Harriet G MacLehose Tracey
Remmington Laura Mellor
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Outline

• Introduction to copy editing, Cochrane Style
  Guide, and copy-editing checklists
• Practical exercise
• How to locate these resources

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What is copy editing?

• Spelling and punctuation
• References
• Presenting summary statistics in the text
• Headings
• Lists
• House style

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What copy editing is not

• Scientific editing (of ideas or methods)

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Why do we copy edit?

• Easier to read
• Fewer mistakes
• Accurate information
• Readers and author know what to expect
• Professional look

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What is the Cochrane Style Guide?

• Resource designed to help people responsible for
  copy editing to copy edit reviews and other
  Cochrane Collaboration documents in a consistent
  manner
• It contains guidance on everything from the
  correct use of abbreviations and heading styles
  to presenting statistical and mathematical data

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Who uses it?

• Cochrane Style Guide
• Cochrane Style Basics

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Cochrane Style Basics

• A two-page summary of the Cochrane Style Guide
  that contains its most essential items, such as
  abbreviation format, presenting statistical
  results, and reference style
• Designed specifically for review authors, but in
  a format that editorial bases can modify
  according to their needs, the Cochrane Style
  Basics could help prevent common copy-editing
  errors

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random effect model or random effects
model or random-effects model
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follow up or follow-up
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The Cochrane Collaboration or the Cochrane
Collaboration
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Page numbers in references 324-328 or 324-8 or
324-28
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-ize or -ise (randomize or randomise)
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• Commas
• amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, or penicillin
• or
• amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin or penicillin

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Copy-editing checklist

• Developed to help you to remember to check every
  part of the review or protocol
• Available to customize

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Practical exercise

• Copy edit a protocol using the Cochrane Style
  Guide and copy-editing checklist

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How to locate these resources

• A website dedicated to style the Cochrane
  Style Resource
• You can submit feedback through this website

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http//www.liv.ac.uk/lstm/ehcap/CSR/home.html
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http//www.liv.ac.uk/lstm/ehcap/CSR/CSG.html
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http//www.liv.ac.uk/lstm/ehcap/CSR/CopyEditingChe
cklist.html
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http//www.liv.ac.uk/lstm/ehcap/CSR/Workshop_resou
rces.html
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http//www.liv.ac.uk/lstm/ehcap/CSR/Feedback_submi
t.html
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Thank you!
Cochrane Style Guide Working Group
hgmac_at_liv.ac.uk, traceyr_at_liv.ac.uk,
LMellor_at_liv.ac.uk