Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A published PRISMA-P systematic-review protocol registered in PROSPERO before searches began
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A methods section of a results paper is not a protocol paper (it is a section of a different publication type)
Editorial commentary
Protocol papers include systematic-review protocols (PRISMA-P), clinical-trial protocols (SPIRIT), and laboratory protocols (Nature Protocols). They serve registration, transparency, and reuse functions. Distinct from a Stage 1 registered-report protocol by not necessarily linking to a guaranteed Stage 2 publication.
References
- PRISMA-P (Moher et al. 2015 BMJ)
- SPIRIT 2013 Statement (Chan et al. Annals)
- Nature Protocols submission guidelines
Also known as
Study protocol publication · Method protocol paper
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
xml
<role vocab="credit"
vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="Protocol paper"
vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/protocol-paper" />json
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "DefinedTerm",
"name": "Protocol paper",
"identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/protocol-paper",
"description": "A peer-reviewed publication that fully describes the methodology of a planned or ongoing research study (clinical trial, systematic review, cohort study, laboratory protocol) prior to or alongside execution, sufficient to enable replication and to fix the methods against post-hoc revision.",
"inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/research-outputs-expanded/",
"url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/protocol-paper",
"sameAs": [
"Study protocol publication",
"Method protocol paper"
],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}
