A press release can summarize the results of your Cochrane review in a way that pulls out the content that is newsworthy and relevant for the media. Press releases are a good tool to attract journalists' attention when you have a topic that is of broad appeal and your review presents new evidence.

Which reviews make a good press release

There are certain criteria that make a Cochrane Review appropriate for a press release:

• The quality of the review, quality of the evidence and its complexity. You should be able to explain the evidence in around 600 words to a non-scientific reader for it to be appropriate for a press release.
• Your Cochrane review should have a public focus and/or broad appeal as a topic. The media should also be interested in the topic.

How to produce a press release

If you think your review is of interest to the media and the wider public, then you should work with a press officer from your own institution. The central Cochrane press office are also happy to help if they have capacity. A press officer can help you judge the newsworthiness of your Cochrane review.

If you work with the press office in your own institution, you must still contact Cochrane so that we are aware that a press release is being shared with the media. You can contact the Cochrane press office by emailing press@cochrane.org.

Press releases in different languages

Where possible, press releases produced by the Cochrane press office are circulated to translations before they’re released.  

If translations are produced before an embargo date, please share these with the central Cochrane press office. This allows the translation to be added to EurekAlert!.

If translations are produced after a press release has been released, it is most effective to share these on your own platforms. You can find more information about translating press releases here.