Guidance for creating your protocol can be found at PRISMA-P (link opens in new window), or by working through the online training on protocols available at the Cochrane Library (link opens in new window).
The Medical Library also runs a training course (link opens in new window) on writing a systematic review protocol.
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A protocol is a description of your proposed systematic review, including your proposed methods, the rationale for the review, and steps you will take to eliminate bias while conducting the review.
Registering your protocol stakes your claim on the research, and it also means that you have done a significant portion of the work before you formally begin the review, as you will have written your Methods section in draft form and planned what you will need to document and report by the time the protocol is finished.
