ROSES
RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses
ROSES updates and extensions
We are pleased to announce that we have commenced the update process for ROSES as of July 2026. Since its launch in 2017, ROSES have supported transparent and comprehensive reporting of systematic reviews and systematic maps in environmental management. The field of evidence synthesis is continually developing, however, with new methodological approaches and automation tools emerging across the evidence synthesis process. The update aims to ensure that ROSES continues to reflect current standards in evidence synthesis reporting. It will use a Delphi process involving a series of tailored workshops, a survey, and detailed validation. The update process is registered with the EQUATOR Network.
The ROSES Steering Group that leads the update includes dr Biljana Macura (Stockholm Environment Institute, HQ), Kyle Morrison (University of Alberta), dr Shinichi Nakagawa (University of Alberta) and dr Matthew Grainger (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research).
This page will be updated with further information as the process progresses.
Updating ROSES
Minor updates
Periodic, minor updates to terminology and structure are made instantaneously on this website, with strict version control that ensures authors have access to the most up-to-date version of ROSES. These minor changes have minimal impact on how reviewers use and fill in the forms. All minor changes are transparently documented in the ROSES Current Version Update Record available below.
Extending ROSES
The ROSES forms are specifically designed to be appropriate for all environmental systematic reviews and maps, along with their protocols. However, we expect that the ROSES reporting standards will be extended for key aspects of systematic reviews and maps where reporting standards may differ depending on the methods used.
In these cases, ROSES extensions will be developed to help reviewers report their work to the highest standards. These extensions may focus on quantitative synthesis or qualitative synthesis, for example.
These extensions will be overseen by the ROSES Steering Group. A rigorous process, including extensive consultation with the evidence synthesis community, will ensure that the extension standards are fit for purpose and reflect broad agreement across the community.