Assessing the Quality of the COVID-19 Articles Published by Persian Researchers Using the CASP Checklist

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic reminded scientists of the importance of designing and implementing efficient research. In this study, the frequency and quality of Iranian researchers’ manuscripts about COVID-19 were evaluated.Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted on June 30, 2020, to asse...

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Main Authors: Mina Danaei, Mohammad Hossein Taghrir, Mehrdad Askarian, Mohsen Momeni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences 2023-07-01
Series:Journal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jhsss.sums.ac.ir/article_49438_e1a810a4457c8f34b9f6f00c9b2d70de.pdf
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author Mina Danaei
Mohammad Hossein Taghrir
Mehrdad Askarian
Mohsen Momeni
author_facet Mina Danaei
Mohammad Hossein Taghrir
Mehrdad Askarian
Mohsen Momeni
author_sort Mina Danaei
collection DOAJ
description Background: The COVID-19 pandemic reminded scientists of the importance of designing and implementing efficient research. In this study, the frequency and quality of Iranian researchers’ manuscripts about COVID-19 were evaluated.Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted on June 30, 2020, to assess the quality of published articles. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched. The inclusion criteria were all articles in the field of COVID-19 published by an Iranian author in English. The authors reviewed the original research articles and systematic reviews using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklists. Descriptive statistics and frequency distributions were reported.Results: After removing duplicates, 347 out of 871 related retrieved articles were remained. Among 35 original articles, thirty-one (88.6%) of them were Cross-sectional articles. There were only one Randomized clinical trial article, one Casecontrol, and two diagnostic articles. Among original researches, deficiency in reporting the sampling method, data analysis, the accuracy of the measurements, sample size calculation method, and choosing comparison groups and blinding (in RCTs) were the most common problems. Nearly 40% of original articles and 81.3% of systematic reviews andmeta-analyses were classified as good-quality articles.Conclusion: Most original articles did not have good quality, while the decisions about treatment and prevention of COVID-19 and policy-making about social restriction depend on the quality of the articles. Journals should be more careful in reviewing articles critically.
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spelling doaj.art-acf55371d568433d97906464e16627452023-09-13T05:45:01ZengShiraz University of Medical SciencesJournal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System2345-22182345-38932023-07-01113 (Supplement)59259910.30476/jhsss.2022.95477.159449438Assessing the Quality of the COVID-19 Articles Published by Persian Researchers Using the CASP ChecklistMina Danaei0Mohammad Hossein Taghrir1Mehrdad Askarian2Mohsen Momeni3Department of Community Medicine, Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IranDepartment of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IranDepartment of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IranDepartment of Community Medicine, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IranBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic reminded scientists of the importance of designing and implementing efficient research. In this study, the frequency and quality of Iranian researchers’ manuscripts about COVID-19 were evaluated.Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted on June 30, 2020, to assess the quality of published articles. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched. The inclusion criteria were all articles in the field of COVID-19 published by an Iranian author in English. The authors reviewed the original research articles and systematic reviews using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklists. Descriptive statistics and frequency distributions were reported.Results: After removing duplicates, 347 out of 871 related retrieved articles were remained. Among 35 original articles, thirty-one (88.6%) of them were Cross-sectional articles. There were only one Randomized clinical trial article, one Casecontrol, and two diagnostic articles. Among original researches, deficiency in reporting the sampling method, data analysis, the accuracy of the measurements, sample size calculation method, and choosing comparison groups and blinding (in RCTs) were the most common problems. Nearly 40% of original articles and 81.3% of systematic reviews andmeta-analyses were classified as good-quality articles.Conclusion: Most original articles did not have good quality, while the decisions about treatment and prevention of COVID-19 and policy-making about social restriction depend on the quality of the articles. Journals should be more careful in reviewing articles critically.https://jhsss.sums.ac.ir/article_49438_e1a810a4457c8f34b9f6f00c9b2d70de.pdfcovid-19journal articlepeer reviewresearchquality control
spellingShingle Mina Danaei
Mohammad Hossein Taghrir
Mehrdad Askarian
Mohsen Momeni
Assessing the Quality of the COVID-19 Articles Published by Persian Researchers Using the CASP Checklist
Journal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System
covid-19
journal article
peer review
research
quality control
title Assessing the Quality of the COVID-19 Articles Published by Persian Researchers Using the CASP Checklist
title_full Assessing the Quality of the COVID-19 Articles Published by Persian Researchers Using the CASP Checklist
title_fullStr Assessing the Quality of the COVID-19 Articles Published by Persian Researchers Using the CASP Checklist
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the Quality of the COVID-19 Articles Published by Persian Researchers Using the CASP Checklist
title_short Assessing the Quality of the COVID-19 Articles Published by Persian Researchers Using the CASP Checklist
title_sort assessing the quality of the covid 19 articles published by persian researchers using the casp checklist
topic covid-19
journal article
peer review
research
quality control
url https://jhsss.sums.ac.ir/article_49438_e1a810a4457c8f34b9f6f00c9b2d70de.pdf
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