Query Information

Query ID assigned (internal office use only):	Enter Query ID
Commissioning Organization:	Enter Client Information.
Project title:	Enter Project Title
Date prepared:	Select date
Project leader and contact information:	Enter Contact Details

About the Project Team

Highlight your expertise and your team’s expertise in the proposed research method and the topic area.

Please provide details on the team, including who the content expert and patient/citizen partners are on the team and how everyone will be involved.

We recommend involving one content expert in the area and two patient/citizen partners (one lead and one support) to be involved in the project. We also encourage inclusion of trainees (e.g., graduate student, post-doctoral fellows, research fellows, etc.) as part of your research team, when possible.

Proposed Research Approach

Please clearly indicate the research approach you will be using to explore the research question.

If you will be using a knowledge synthesis approach to answer the research question, you can use the tool What Review is Right For You? to help you decide which method would be most useful in answering the research question posed by the decision-maker(s).

Research Question/Objective

Is the project on a topic related to COVID-19?	☐ Yes ☐ No
If yes, have you registered your topic with the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not applicable

Research question Provide an explicit statement of the questions and objectives being addressed with reference to their key elements (e.g., population or participants, concepts, and context) and any other element used to conceptualize the project.
Population/Problem Please clearly define the population/problem and provide inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Intervention/Exposure Please clearly define the intervention/exposure and provide inclusion and exclusion criteria. *For a scoping review, this can be captured under Concepts of interest.
Control/Comparator Please clearly define the control/comparator(s) and provide inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Outcome Please clearly define the outcome(s) and provide inclusion and exclusion criteria. *For a scoping review, this can be captured under Concepts of interest.
Setting *This is captured under Context in a scoping review (e.g., urban, remote or rural settings).
Study design Please specify what study designs will be eligible for inclusion (e.g., observation studies, clinical trials, commentaries, editorials, etc.)
Publication Language Please specify if publications will be limited by language.
Publication Year Please specify if publication will be limited by year.

Protocol Registration

If the protocol was registered, please indicate the registry it was submitted to.

Please select one.	Please provide the protocol ID.
PROSPERO PROSPERO is an international prospective register that accepts protocol for systemic reviews, rapid reviews, and umbrella reviews in health and social care, welfare, public health, education, crime, justice, and international development, where there is a health related outcome.	☐
OSF Registries Open Science Framework is a free, open platform to support research and enable collaboration.	☐
Other	☐ Please specify: Click or tap here to enter text.

If the protocol has note been registered, but you plan to do so in the future, please indicate anticipated submission date and platform here. Enter N/A if not applicable.

Methods Details

Please describe your study method including:

Sources of data – please list all databases and other sources of data (e.g., bibliographic databases such as MEDLINE, grey literature sources, focus groups, key informant interviews).

Data collection – provide details on how information will be searched and who will perform the search, data elements to be collected, who will responsible for collecting the data, will specific training be required prior to data collection, specific forms or tools to be used to collect the data, whether the study requires REB approval, how will information be verified for accuracy, where and how information will be stored.

Data analysis and synthesis – please describe how data will be analyzed, interpreted, and presented (e.g., tables, graphs)

Please also describe any sex and gender or additional equity considerations (e.g., age, income, ethnocultural backgrounds, Indigenous status, languages spoken, geographic location, ability/disability) to the study design.

Knowledge User Engagement Plan

Describe how you plan to engage the immediate knowledge user (i.e., commissioning organization) throughout the project phase (inception to completion).

For projects with rapid timelines, we recommend weekly updates at a minimum.

Frequency of knowledge user update

Please include frequency of progress updates you will provide to the knowledge users (e.g., weekly updates).

A template for the updates is included in your package.

Please select one from the dropdown menu.

Patient/Citizen Partner Engagement Plan

We encourage each project to include two patient/citizen partners (one lead and one support). If you have pre-existing relationships with relevant patients/citizens, then feel free to include them and if not, we are happy to match you with patient/citizen partners who have the relevant lived experience for the research topic.

Patient/citizen partner contributions are recognized through our Patient Partner Appreciation Policy and are invited as coauthors on the report if they participate in multiple steps.

We recommend patient/citizen partners are engaged in the following steps of the project life cycle, at a minimum:

Protocol stage (in particular in the selection of outcomes relevant to patients/citizens)

Co-production of one key message for patients/citizens at the results stage

Co-production of a plain language summary after the report has been submitted to the knowledge user.

Communication with patient/citizen partners is of outmost importance and we recommend letting them know expectations and timelines advance.

For example, they have 1 hour to review the protocol (and it must be done within 24 hours), 1 hour to review the results and 1 hour to provide a patient-relevant key message (done within 24 hours) and 5 hours to co-produce the plain language summary (to be done two weeks after the report has been submitted to the knowledge user).

Dissemination or Implementation Plan

Describe your dissemination goals and how you plan to achieve these goals. Provide as much detail as possible.

Identify your target audiences (knowledge users).

Products or tools to be disseminated.

Your plan for dissemination.

How you anticipate the products or tools to be used.

We recommend a 1-page summary tailored to your knowledge user.

Consider alternate mediums to spread your message (e.g., Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn).

Declaration of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest (COI) occurs when personal, occupational, professional, intellectual or financial interests, either directly or indirectly, affect or appear to affect the objectivity of an Evidence Alliance member. A COI can be real, potential, or perceived in nature.

A real COI arises when a member has a bias, or a personal, occupational, professional or financial relationship(s) or interests that may affect or compromise, or appear to affect or compromise their work with the Evidence Alliance or with the specific project.
A potential COI arises when a member does not currently have a real COI but can foresee that their private, personal, or professional relationship(s) or interests may have the potential to influence their work with the Evidence Alliance (or with a specific project) in the future.
A perceived (or apparent) COI may exist when a reasonable, well-informed person believes that an Evidence Alliance member has a real or potential COI even though there is neither a real nor a potential conflict.

Refer to our COI policy found here to declare any potential conflicts of interest.

Timeline with Descriptive Milestones

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Key dates and deliverables

Provide a summary list of key dates and deliverables below.

Budget

(See excel template)

Other

Heidari S, Babor TF, De Castro P, Tort S, Curno M. Sex and Gender Equity in Research: rationale for the SAGER guidelines and recommended use. Res Integr Peer Rev. 2016 May 3;1:2. doi: 10.1186/s41073-016-0007-6.

https://www.cadth.ca/about-cadth/how-are-we-doing/conflict-interest