How do I assemble a review-to-manuscript handoff package for co-authors?

Assemble the handoff package by building a manifest of every component, coding each one final, draft, or open, and delivering it with a status table and an open-items list so co-authors can see what remains.

1. List each component in the manifest: tables, certainty ratings, search logs, and analysis files. For each entry, record the file name, the person responsible, and the date it was last changed. Expected result: a complete inventory that shows every item a co-author will need.
2. Code each component's status as final, draft, or open. Use final when the item is ready to cite in the manuscript, draft when content exists but may still change, and open when the item has not been produced. Expected result: a status label on every line of the manifest.
3. Build the status table from the manifest, grouping items by component type and showing status, owner, and last update. Expected result: a one-page view co-authors can scan before reading any file.
4. Write the open-items list from every entry coded open or draft, stating what is missing and who will close it. Expected result: a short action list that names the next step for each unresolved item.
5. Check the reporting components against the review's reporting framework. PRISMA 2020 provides a checklist and flow diagrams for transparent reporting of why a systematic review was done, what methods were used, and what studies were found and included, so confirm the search log and included-study records match those reporting elements. Expected result: any reporting gap appears as an open item rather than surfacing during journal submission.
6. Confirm the certainty ratings follow a documented approach. GRADE is a systematic approach for rating certainty in systematic reviews and evidence syntheses, including Summary of Findings table guidance and GRADEpro workflows, so check that the certainty ratings and Summary of Findings table use the same rating scheme. Expected result: ratings and tables agree, or the mismatch is logged as open.
7. Deliver the package as one folder containing the manifest, status table, open-items list, and the component files, with the status table placed first. Expected result: co-authors open a single location and immediately see what is final, what is draft, and what is open.

Keep the status codes consistent across the manifest and the status table so a co-author reading either view reaches the same conclusion about an item.