Net carbon effects of digital technologies in university estates and comparable non-domestic organisations: a systematic review (retrospective registration of a protocol fixed on 25 September 2026)

Retrospective registration of the protocol for a PRISMA 2020 systematic review of peer-reviewed studies that assess the energy or greenhouse gas outcome of a digital technology deployed in a university estate or a comparable non-domestic setting, with particular attention to whether the footprint of the digital layer is counted, rebound, verified against projected savings, reporting boundaries and the governance of digital carbon in higher education. The protocol was fixed on 25 September 2026 before screening began. Searches, screening, extraction and synthesis were carried out between 25 and 27 September 2026. This registration was created after that work was complete and is therefore retrospective. The protocol file attached to this registration is unchanged from the version fixed on 25 September 2026. Deviations from the protocol are listed in the "Deviations" field below and in the companion OSF project.