Cochrane Vascular provides support, resources and training for those members wishing to prepare a systematic review.

A systematic review draws together all the available information on a subject for evaluation and synopsis, using predetermined criteria and explicit methods designed to limit bias. This process may include a statistical meta-analysis, a technique which summarises the results of several studies into a single estimate. This may produce a statistically significant finding where none was present in the individual studies. Approximately 500 members of the Cochrane Vascular group are currently involved in preparing systematic reviews in the hope of answering clinically relevant questions.

Reviews are conducted by teams of co-authors, and are produced in three distinct stages:

Review proposal and title registration

Protocol development

Review development and updating