The members of a review team are the sole authors of the systematic review (or map) they produce.

• register your project with the Collaboration by contacting us at info@environmentalevidence.org
• submit your protocol (see Instructions for authors below)
• conduct the review according to the Guidelines and the feedback you will have received on your protocol
• submit your final review (see Instructions for Authors below)

See below:

• CONDUCTING A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
  Planning
  Guidelines
  
• PUBLISHING A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
  Submission procedure
  Instructions for authors
  Costs
• GETTING SUPPORT FROM CEE
Mentoring programme
Training courses
Contact us

CONDUCTING A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Planning

Contact us at info@environmentalevidence.org as early as possible (ideally when building up the question for your SR), to benefit from guidance and advice concerning the logistics, the scope of the question adressed by your review, and latest development of our guidelines or policies and procedures. Experience shows that early contact with our team and network prevents waste of time and resources and improves the quality of the review.

On average, a systematic review undertaken by a review team composed of 3 to 5 members takes about a year to be completed with the best possible quality. The CEE is actively working at reducing this timeframe by developing tools to help the review teams.

Guidelines for Systematic Reviews in Environmental Management:

Version optimised for on-screen reading
Version optimised for on-screen reading - with section menus (5.5 MB)
Version optimised for printing - for double-sided printing

PUBLISHING A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Submission procedure

Starting in September 2011, you will be able to either submit your work to the CEE Library and/or to the open-access journal Environmental Evidence. This does not prevent you from publishing in other journals (see here for more details).

To submit a manuscript to Environmental Evidence you will need:

- to comply to the detailed Instructions for Authors (which are common to the journal and the CEE library, and are provided with full details by following the link above)
- to follow the online submission procedure established by Biomed Central, publisher of Environmental Evidence, by visiting the journal's website at www.environmentalevidencejournal.org

To register and submit your manuscripts to the CEE Library you will need:

- to comply to the detailed Instructions for Authors (same as above)
- to submit your draft manuscript to the CEE by email at info@environmentalevidence.org

What is the procedure after the submission?

If opting to publish in Environmental Evidence you should follow the journals procedures for manuscript submission at www.environmentalevidencejournal.org. The procedure is entirely managed by an online system.

The following section applies to those authors opting for publication in the CEE library only.

Systematic Review Protocols submitted to the CEE library:
When a draft protocol is submitted to CEE we will acknowledge receipt and, if the protocol passes preliminary screening, we will post it and feedback peer review comments within 1 month.
When comments on draft protocols have been returned to the authors it is expected that the protocol will be finalized within 3 months. If  3 months elapses CEE will send a reminder to the authors and ask that they either submit the protocol or provide a reason for extension together with a new expected date of submission. If no response is received within one month the review will be marked as ‘discontinued’.
When a finalized protocol is submitted we will check that appropriate changes have been made and, if so, post within 2 weeks of receipt.

Systematic Reviews or maps submitted to the CEE library:
Once a finalized protocol has been accepted it is expected that the draft systematic review will be submitted within 6 months. If  6 months elapses, CEE will send a reminder to the authors and ask that they either submit the draft review or provide a reason for extension together with a new expected date of submission. If no response is received within one month the review will be marked as ‘discontinued’.
When a draft systematic review is submitted we will acknowledge receipt and, if the review passes preliminary screening, we will post it and feedback peer review comments within 2 months.
If comments on draft systematic review have been returned to the authors it is expected that the revised systematic review will be submitted within 3 months. If 3 months elapses CEE will send a reminder to the authors and ask that they either submit the revised version or provide a reason for extension together with a new expected date of submission. If no response is received within one month the review will be marked as ‘discontinued’.
When a finalized systematic review is submitted we will check that appropriate changes have been made and, if so, post within 2 weeks of receipt.
To ensure that newly posted CEE reviews are up to date the CEE will not accept manuscripts that are submitted more than 2 yrs after the main data search was conducted.

COSTS (to help you plan your budget)

• CEE library - Covering costs of editorial function PDF document
  Nota: ask us for a special application form if you think you would be eligible for full or partial exemption (info@environmentalevidence.org).
• Environmental Evidence journal see here
• Publishing both in the CEE Library and in EE journal, discounts and waivers: see below

The table below only applies to new submissions

Nota : there is a discount on costs of publication in Environmental Evidence Journal if your institution has BMC membership.

** any manuscript accepted in the Journal will also appear in the CEE library without any subsequent charges.

 

For any information or question please mail us at info@environmentalevidence.org