Cochrane could not exist without its volunteers.

Around 37,000 people from over 130 countries worldwide dedicate their time to help us create reliable health and healthcare information while remaining independent from commercial interests.

The work of each volunteer is different. For example, a researcher might dedicate their time to writing a Cochrane systematic review, a student might translate and summarize key information, or a patient might suggest ways to improve the linguistic clarity of our reviews.

What can you do?

Whether you are a researcher or a citizen, you can participate in our knowledge translation activities. This type of activity refers not only to translating information from English to other languages, but mainly to translating from technical, specific language to a simpler language that is accessible for the general population.

For example, you could create blogshot in several languages, help us in translating Cochrane podcast, creating infographics about our systematic reviews, and so on. Write to us!

What do you get?

We understand the importance of volunteers' work, but we also acknowledge that not everyone has the resources to dedicate their time without any form of recognition. For this reason, Cochrane MS and Rare Diseases of the CNS offers various ways to value its volunteers, tailored to their contributions and needs:

• Training is fundamental to volunteering. By collaborating with us, volunteers have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of research practices and enhance their skills in evidence-based medicine. Moreover, any knowledge translation work will be preceded by formal and informal meetings where skills, guidelines, and suggestions are shared.
• Through the Cochrane Engage platform, volunteers can earn points to gain Cochrane Membership Points. Points are awarded for their contribution and active participation in projects and activities. With Membership, volunteers can access Cochrane resources and unlock benefits and privileges within the community.
• Volunteers are mentioned in our Volunteer List. Their contribution is publicly recognized on our website. Additionally, if they wish, they can be mentioned with a dedicated post on our social media.
• Volunteers who consistently collaborate on various projects or who have distinguished themselves with particularly complex or outstanding work may receive personalized support and recommendations through Cochrane Engage or LinkedIn, as they are valuable tools for developing a professional career in the field of healthcare research.