Background: Systematic review protocols are seldom published (with some exceptions, such as the protocols for Cochrane reviews). Furthermore, for systematic reviewers interested in publishing their protocols, there is limited guidance currently. Where protocols are accessible, they show what was - and was not planned for the review which might not be clearly understandable in published reports.

Objectives: To develop a guideline to aid authors when preparing and reporting protocols. This will extend the PRISMA Preferred Items for Reporting Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement, to provide guidance for protocols (PRISMAP).

Methods: Development of PRISMAP will follow the process for reporting guideline development designed by the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) group. Potential checklist items were identified through the Delphi process and extensive consensus-building during the development of PROSPERO - an international register for systematic review protocols. The PROSPERO items will be debated and further refined into a checklist for the reporting of systematic review protocols during a June 2011 meeting of international experts, facilitated by the developers of PROSPERO and experts in the development of reporting guidelines. The draft guideline with accompanying checklist will be shared at the 2011 Cochrane Colloquium. Potential Impact: The availability of a tool to help Cochrane and other systematic reviewers create and report protocols will hopefully improve the quality of both protocols and the subsequent reviews. PRISMAP might also make it easier for readers and peer reviewers to identify selective reporting biases in systematic reviews.