Access options for the Cochrane Library
Cochrane aspires to prepare and publish high-quality research aimed at informing decision-making globally and to make this available to readers via one-click access.
For information on Open Access please click here.
Access for journalists and media outlets please click here.
Updates can be provided by RSS.
iPad edition details are here.
The table below outlines the different ways that readers can access the Cochrane Library and particularly full text access to Cochrane Reviews in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR).
Overview of access options for the Cochrane Library
| Access option | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Paid | National ‘provision’ | Free online access for residents through a national funded licence; see countries with funded provision table below |
| Subscriptions | Institutional or personal click for details | |
| Pay per view | USD $38 plus VAT (if applicable) click for details | |
| Free | Time-limited country/region access | Via Evidence Aid |
| One-click free access | One-click free access provided by IP recognition (no individual login). Based on publisher’s annual review of eligible countries in Group A and B for the HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme (www.who.int/hinari/eligibility). The countries listed in the table below have access until January 2019. | |
| Access to Research through HINARI (www.who.int/hinari/en/) | Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI), a partnership led by WHO. Access through a local, not-for-profit institution. Charge may apply dependent on countries' eligibility. Countries classified according to the Band 1 and Band 2 grouping, based on the gross national income per capita from the World Bank's list of low-income countries and other data. | |
| Reduced cost | International Network for the INASP/PERii (www.inasp.info) | Availability of Scientific Publications' (INASP) Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERii). Low-cost access provided to named research organizations in selected INASP partner countries |
| Access to Research through HINARI (www.who.int/hinari/en) | See above | |
| Open | ‘Gold’ open access | CDSR: see details |
| ‘Green’ open access | CDSR: see details |
Who is eligible for free online access?
Regions with funded provision
Residents of the countires and regions listed in the table below have free online access through a 'provision' or a special scheme. For further details regarding funding sources, click here.
| Africa | Asia | Europe | North America | South America | Oceania |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt South Africa |
India | Denmark Finland Ireland Norway Spain Switzerland United Kingdom -England -N. Ireland -Scotland -Wales |
Canada -New Brunswick -Nova Scotia |
Brazil | Australia New Zealand |
One-click free access in low- and middle-income countries
Cochrane and Wiley provide one-click free access to the Cochrane Library in over 100 countries. Access is provided by IP recognition removing the requirement for individual login information. All eligible countries in Group A and B for the HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme (www.who.int/hinari/eligibility) are considered annually. The countries listed in the table below have access.
| Africa | Asia | Europe | North America | Oceania | South America |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria Angola Benin Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Congo Côte d'Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe |
Afghanistan Armenia Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia Georgia Iraq Jordan Kyrgyzstan Laos Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal North Korea Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Uzbekistan Vietnam West Bank & Gaza Strip Yemen |
Albania Bosnia Kosovo Macedonia Moldova Ukraine |
Belize El Salvador Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Nicaragua |
Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Timor Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu |
Bolivia Guyana Paraguay Saint Helena Suriname |
Funding sources for national and regional provisions
Africa
Egypt
Effective 1 July 2017, all residents of Egypt can access the Cochrane Library for free via the Wiley Sales trial programme.
South Africa
All residents of South Africa can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding for a national provision provided by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC).
Asia
India
All residents of India can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding for a national provision provided by the National Medical Library.
Europe
Denmark
All residents of Denmark can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding for a national provision provided by the Ministry of Health.
Finland
Access to the Cochrane Library is available in Finland for registered users of the Terveysportti portal provided by Duodecim Medical Publications Ltd.
Ireland
All residents of the Republic of Ireland can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding for a national provision by the Irish Health Research Board. See below for details of funding in Northern Ireland.
Norway
All residents of Norway can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding for a national provision from the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services.
Spain
All residents of Spain can access the Biblioteca Cochrane Plus for free. La Biblioteca Cochrane Plus includes the Spanish version of all Cochrane Reviews, thanks to funding for a national provision by the Spanish Ministry of Health.
Switzerland
The national licence offers free access for all people accessing the Cochrane Library from within Switzerland. The establishment of the national licence is made possible thanks to funding provided by the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS) and the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) as well as further contributions from the following institutions: Bibliothek SoH Solothurner Spitäler, Olten; Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire Lausanne; Bibliothèque de l’Université de Genève; Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale Bellinzona; Fachhochschulen Koordinationsstelle Konsortium; Kantonsspital Winterthur; Schweizer Paraplegikerzentrum; Universitätsbibliothek Basel; Universitätsbibliothek Bern; Universitätsbibliothek Zürich; Zentral- und Hochschulbibliothek Luzern
United Kingdom
England
All residents of England can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
Northern Ireland
All residents of Northern Ireland can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding for a national provision by The Research and Development Office. See above for details of funding in the Republic of Ireland.
Scotland
All residents of Scotland can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding provided by NHS Education for Scotland.
Wales
All residents of Wales can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding provided by The Welsh Government.
North America
Canada
New Brunswick
Access to the Cochrane Library is available for free, through the electronic resources section of the New Brunswick Public Library Service (NBPLS) website, to all New Brunswickers who have a public library card, thanks to funding provided by the partnership involving the NBPLS, the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Libraries and the Regional Health Authority (RHA) libraries.
Nova Scotia
All residents of Nova Scotia can access the Cochrane Library through the Public Libraries of Nova Scotia via their database pages. Paid for by the Atlantic Health Knowledge Partnership (AHKP).
South America
Brazil
All residents of Brazil can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding and administration by the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES).
Australasia
Australia
All residents of Australia can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding provided by the Australian Government and administered by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
New Zealand
All residents of New Zealand can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to the District Health Boards and the New Zealand Ministry of Health.