How to Register a Systematic Review on PROSPERO

PROSPERO is an international register of systematic review protocols with health-related outcomes, run by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York. Registering records your plan publicly and reduces duplication and selective reporting. Check the current eligibility rules on the PROSPERO site, since scope and requirements can change.

Before you register

• Confirm that your review type is eligible. PROSPERO has restrictions on the types of reviews it accepts (for example it has not accepted scoping reviews), so read its guidance.
• Search PROSPERO to see whether the same review already exists.
• Ideally register before formal screening begins.
• Write the protocol and prepare the data the form asks for.

Typical steps

1. Create an account on the PROSPERO website.
2. Complete the registration form: review title, team and contact, anticipated dates, review question, searches, condition, participants, interventions, comparators, outcomes, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment and synthesis plans.
3. Submit; PROSPERO staff check that the record meets requirements and may ask for changes.
4. Receive a registration number (ID) after acceptance.
5. Cite the ID in the protocol, abstract and report.

Amendments and updates

Update the record if methods or timelines change, and report the amendments in your final paper. Record when the review is completed or published.

Illustrative example

Invented for teaching. A team registers a review of probiotics for antibiotic-associated diarrhoea one week before starting screening. After the review, the abstract states "PROSPERO registration [ID]" and the methods mention that the question was narrowed from adults and children to adults only, as recorded in an amendment.

Common pitfalls

• Registering after data extraction.
• Not updating the record when methods change.

Key takeaways

• Register early, report the ID and document changes.
• Verify eligibility and instructions on the official site.

This page is general educational information about research methods. It is not medical, legal or regulatory advice; follow your institution's ethics board and your target journal's instructions.