Cochrane groups have a problem with Chinese literature. China has modernized scientific research and the number of trials has hugely increased in the last decade (1). There are problems with access and quality. Access is limited. For example, only 1% of trials in one area of health care are found on PubMed (2). China has five overlapping but distinct major biomedical databases (3). Collectively they index thousands of Chinese biomedical journals and these are largely ignored by Cochrane reviews. If work from the whole of China is not to be disregarded—a systematic but clearly parochial approach contrary to the Collaborations’ founding principles—Cochrane reviewers must be helped identify, sift, quality-assure and data extract work from mainland China. This work can only be undertaken efficiently by trained researchers fluent in Mandarin, scientific methods and Cochrane methodology. SRS (www.review-solutios.cn) is established by a team with a track record in production and maintenance of complex Cochrane reviews. SRS provides services on searching and obtaining trials, quality assessment of trial reports, as well as data extraction. It’s your gateway to Chinese research.

References

1. McDonald. 2006 [WWW document]. Available at: http://www. businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8LQ0OI00.htm [accessed on December 2010].

2. Chakrabarti A, Adams CE, Rathbone J, Wright J, Xia J, Wong J, et al. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2007; 116:6–9.

3. Xia J, Wright J, Adams CE. Health Info Libr J 2008; 25:55–61.