CENTRAL is a database of controlled trials and other healthcare interventions that serves as the best available resource for those preparing and maintaining systematic reviews or searching for trials. CENTRAL includes citations that may not be indexed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, or other bibliographic databases, citations published internationally in many languages, and citations that are available in conference proceedings or other hard to access sources. (Dickersin K, Manheimer E, Wieland S, Robinson KA, Lefebvre C, McDonald S, and the Central Development Group. Development of the Cochrane Collaboration's Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials. Evaluation and the Health Professions, 2002; 25:38-64.)

CENTRAL Management Plan
The CENTRAL Management Plan describes the methods used and work invested in developing the CENTRAL database. Two of the chapters are Guides to be used by Cochrane Group Trial Search Coordinators for contributing trials registers for publication on CENTRAL.

1. Introduction
2. Guide for Submission of Specialized Registers to CENTRAL
3. Guide for Submission of Handsearch Results to CENTRAL
4. Coding of Records in CENTRAL as CCTR and Correction of Records
5. Work Performed by the USCC in the Development and Management of CENTRAL
6. Update Software's System for Processing Specialized Registers and Handsearch Results
7. Searching CENTRAL

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Download Full Documents:

• CENTRAL Management Plan Document (Chapters I - VII) (PDF)
   
• Guide for Submission of Specialized Registers (Chapter II) (PDF)
   
• Guide for Submission of Handsearch Results (Chapter III) (PDF)
   

Download specific chapters or appendices here.