Welcome to the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group (RRMG) website. The RRMG is one of 17 Cochrane Method Groups world-wide comprised of individuals with an interest and expertise in the science of systematic reviews.

While the concept of rapid evidence synthesis, or rapid review (RR), is not novel, it remains a poorly understood and as yet ill-defined set of diverse methodologies supported by a paucity of published, available scientific literature. The speed with which RRs are gaining prominence and are being incorporated into urgent decision-making underscores the need to explore their characteristics and use further. While rapid review producers must answer the time-sensitive needs of the health decision makers they serve, they must simultaneously ensure that the scientific imperative of methodological rigor is satisfied. In order to adequately address this inherent tension, a need for methodological research and standard development has been identified.  For these reasons, we have established the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group (RRMG) to better inform ‘rapid review’ methodology. 

Scope of the RRMG will be serve to inform rapid reviews in general, both within the Cochrane Collaboration and beyond. Including a scope that is beyond the current purview of Cochrane’s work is an opportunity for Cochrane to position itself as a leader in rapid review methodology, just as it has been influential for systematic reviews, in general. 

Presently, the RRMG is comprised of seven co-convenors and two associate convenors from Canada, the United States, Ireland and Austria, with virtual co-administration by the Ottawa Methods Centre based at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and Cochrane Austria.

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