An official Cochrane Policy, dated April 2025
Context and rationale
The Cochrane Collaboration is a charity and company registered in England and Wales. We are accountable to the Charity Commission for England and Wales; official statements, advocacy positions and activities conducted in Cochrane's name must comply with Charity Commission guidance.
This policy establishes guidelines for anyone who has a role at the Cochrane Collaboration or within a Cochrane group. Please note that all references to 'the Cochrane Collaboration' refer to the registered charity and company.
This policy applies to any context in which someone may be speaking, or seen to be speaking, on behalf of the Cochrane Collaboration. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Responding to enquiries from journalists;
- Making statements on social media;
- Speaking at events or conferences;
- Published or direct correspondence.
Official spokespeople
Official spokespeople authorized to speak on behalf of the Cochrane Collaboration are limited to members of the Executive Leadership Team and the Head of Communications. These individuals may delegate this responsibility to specialist colleagues at their own discretion.
Anyone else asked to speak on behalf of the Cochrane Collaboration in any context should first seek authority from an authorized representative.
Group spokespeople
Leaders of Cochrane groups are authorized to speak about their own group's activities and may delegate this responsibility to colleagues at their own discretion. For example, the director of a Geographic Group can speak about projects that were conducted by their group. They are authorized to speak on behalf of their group, and not on behalf of the Cochrane Collaboration unless this responsibility has been explicitly delegated by an official spokesperson.
Attributing statements
Anyone making a statement using their Cochrane affiliation must state unequivocally that they are not representing the views of the Cochrane Collaboration. This cannot be implied, it must be stated explicitly in a reasonable attempt to avoid any confusion, misunderstandings or inaccurate assumptions on the part of the audience.
For example, if someone uses their Cochrane title on an independent paper, it should carry a disclaimer such as: 'This research or the matters expressed in this paper do not represent the views of the Cochrane Collaboration.'
Use of the Cochrane logo and letterhead should be limited to statements and/or correspondence that is expressly authorized by and made on behalf of the Cochrane Collaboration.