gms | German Medical Science

In 1993, the Cochrane Collaboration managed to establish itself as an international organisation that aims to help people make well-informed decisions about health care by preparing, maintaining and ensuring the accessibility of systematic reviews of the effects of health care interventions. Few years later, the Campbell Collaboration was established aiming to promote systematic reviews within the field of education, criminology, social welfare and international development. With this contribution we will provide a critical analysis of ancient and more recent developments in the Cochrane and Campbell Collaboration. Drawing on Actor-Network Theory we intent to shed light on the successful as well as the more problematic enrolment and mobilisation of different stakeholders in the collaborations. Examples of Cochrane comprehensive reviews combining quantitative and qualitative evidence will be highlighted, as well as the promising sibling studies from published Campbell Reviews.