Background: Podcasts from the Cochrane Library were first launched in January 2008. Since then, the number of listeners worldwide has increased substantially; more than 100,000 accesses per month were achieved in 2010. Previous quantitative studies have provided evidence to show that the Cochrane podcasts have grown in popularity but have not demonstrated why users are choosing to listen. A qualitative study will enable the podcasts to develop further and continue to serve the needs of the listeners.

Methods: A user survey targeted toward existing users of the Cochrane podcasts will be conducted. Social networking outlets including Facebook and Twitter will be used in order to ask listeners a number of questions relating to their usage of the Cochrane podcasts. A small number of previous podcast authors will be asked to share their views on the current format.

Results: The results from the survey will give a more detailed impression of the users of the Cochrane podcasts. The strengths and weaknesses of the current podcast format that the users identify will be used to improve the service for listeners.

Conclusions: How the podcasts are produced and presented in the future will be influenced by the outcome of the user survey.