Review Protocols
The Study Review Protocol, Version 5.1 is used in combination with the WWC Handbook to guide the reviews of
all studies reviewed under WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook, Version 5.0, including those cited as evidence for U.S. Department of Education grant competitions, studies
that were funded by the Department, and studies identified for systematic reviews of evidence based on a search of the research literature in a particular topic area.
Each version of the Study Review Protocol was developed to support reviews conducted under a single version of the WWC Handbook. The content in the Study Review Protocol, Version 5.1 corresponds with the most recent set of procedures and standards found in the WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook, Version 5.0.
Prior versions available for download.
Protocol Details
- Version: 5.1
- Released: December 2024
- Version: 5.0
- Released: March 2023
- Version: 4.1
- Released: October 2024
- Version: 1.0
- Released: January 2021
What is a Protocol?
Starting in January 2021, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) uses the Study Review Protocol in combination with the Procedures and Standards Handbook to guide reviews of all studies. In particular, the Study Review Protocol provides additional information on eligible outcome domains for all topic areas reviewed by the WWC and provides examples of outcome measures that fall within each domain.
When conducting systematic reviews, the WWC uses the Study Review Protocol to review studies and an accompanying topic area synthesis protocol to define the parameters of the systematic review. The synthesis protocol provides criteria for the literature search; guidance on how to identify and prioritize relevant studies for review and inclusion in evidence synthesis products; and guidance on intervention, sample, and outcome eligibility criteria for the synthesis.
Prior to 2021, studies were typically reviewed using a topic-specific synthesis protocol and the corresponding version of the Procedures and Standards Handbook. In addition to defining the parameters for the review, these protocols described any topic-specific applications of the design standards, such as how to establish baseline equivalence between samples when required.