Q: What does 'URL of the online registry' mean?

Detailed Question -

I received the following reply from the editor: ‘Please ensure that the manuscript title in Editorial Manager matches the manuscript title in the study protocol URL. Please ensure to provide the correct URL of the online registry in which your protocol has been entered.’ I am not quite sure what I should do next.

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

A protocol is a document specifying the details of what you will be studying in your research. It is relevant to two kinds of study, clinical trials and systematic reviews (including meta-analyses). In the case of clinical trials, the protocol needs to be registered before commencing your study. In the case of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, it is preferable to register the protocol before starting your study.

Based on the information you have provided, it seems your manuscript is either a systematic review or a meta-analysis (rather than a clinical trial). You seem to have provided an incorrect or different title (from the registered title) in the manuscript or not registered the protocol to begin with. If you have provided an incorrect or modified title, you need to update the title in the database where you registered the protocol. However, it is perhaps more likely that you have not registered the protocol before commencing your study.

In the case of a systematic review or meta-analysis, it is necessary to register your protocol before starting the review to ensure your review is novel and also to avoid bias in selection of data. If you haven’t registered your protocol, you can still do so in any of the below-mentioned registries as suits your study. However, note that depending on the selected registry, there may be some time before the registration is completed.

Finally, when submitting the manuscript, it is also good to upload the PRISMA checklist, which is a document to guide writers on how to perform a systematic review or meta-analysis.

For more information on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, protocols (and the need for registering them beforehand), and the PRISMA checklist, you may refer to the following resources:

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