Quotation Accuracy of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols on Acupuncture
Currently, published systematic review protocols (SR protocols) have increasingly become a new trend in fields such as acupuncture and are therefore a new source of quotations in these fields. Systematic reviews are considered the pinnacle of the evidence pyramid as they embody comprehensive literat...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/1/55 |
| _version_ | 1797493742592065536 |
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| author | José M. Morán María Romero-Moreno Azucena Santillán-García Ivan Herrera-Peco |
| author_facet | José M. Morán María Romero-Moreno Azucena Santillán-García Ivan Herrera-Peco |
| author_sort | José M. Morán |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Currently, published systematic review protocols (SR protocols) have increasingly become a new trend in fields such as acupuncture and are therefore a new source of quotations in these fields. Systematic reviews are considered the pinnacle of the evidence pyramid as they embody comprehensive literature searching. Quotations are key elements to achieve this goal as they can support the assertions of the original authors, but the ‘misquotation’ exists, too, and they can be misleading to the reader. The aim of this study was to examine the quotation accuracy of SR protocols in a meta-analysis on acupuncture research. We searched SCOPUS through 31 December, 2020, and each protocol and its citations were analyzed and classified as correct or incorrect. We used descriptive statistics to report the quotation errors and characteristics of the included protocols. The results showed 248 SR protocols, where 124 protocols received quotations and 38 quotations (31.4%) were erroneous. Only 11 (4.4%) of the published SRs and SR protocols had been published previously. Furthermore, the scientific journal in which the most SR protocols were published was Medicine (193; 77.8%), followed by BMJ Open (39; 15.7%). Authors from China (86.5%) were the most productive in publishing SRs and SR protocols. Finally, we concluded that the number of SR protocols and meta-analyses published in scientific journals and indexed by databases exceeds the publication capacity of the SRs associated with them, generating scientific literature that does not make any novel contribution to knowledge. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:24:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e1e8e949097a413eae76433f14a2c931 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:24:21Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-e1e8e949097a413eae76433f14a2c9312023-11-23T13:54:58ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322021-12-011015510.3390/healthcare10010055Quotation Accuracy of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols on AcupunctureJosé M. Morán0María Romero-Moreno1Azucena Santillán-García2Ivan Herrera-Peco3Metabolic Bone Diseases Research Group, Nursing Department, Nursing and Occupational Therapy College, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, SpainMetabolic Bone Diseases Research Group, Nursing Department, Nursing and Occupational Therapy College, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, SpainUniversity Hospital of Burgos, Universitario de Burgos, 09006 Burgos, SpainNursing Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, 28691 Madrid, SpainCurrently, published systematic review protocols (SR protocols) have increasingly become a new trend in fields such as acupuncture and are therefore a new source of quotations in these fields. Systematic reviews are considered the pinnacle of the evidence pyramid as they embody comprehensive literature searching. Quotations are key elements to achieve this goal as they can support the assertions of the original authors, but the ‘misquotation’ exists, too, and they can be misleading to the reader. The aim of this study was to examine the quotation accuracy of SR protocols in a meta-analysis on acupuncture research. We searched SCOPUS through 31 December, 2020, and each protocol and its citations were analyzed and classified as correct or incorrect. We used descriptive statistics to report the quotation errors and characteristics of the included protocols. The results showed 248 SR protocols, where 124 protocols received quotations and 38 quotations (31.4%) were erroneous. Only 11 (4.4%) of the published SRs and SR protocols had been published previously. Furthermore, the scientific journal in which the most SR protocols were published was Medicine (193; 77.8%), followed by BMJ Open (39; 15.7%). Authors from China (86.5%) were the most productive in publishing SRs and SR protocols. Finally, we concluded that the number of SR protocols and meta-analyses published in scientific journals and indexed by databases exceeds the publication capacity of the SRs associated with them, generating scientific literature that does not make any novel contribution to knowledge.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/1/55systematic reviewssystematic review protocolsacupuncture |
| spellingShingle | José M. Morán María Romero-Moreno Azucena Santillán-García Ivan Herrera-Peco Quotation Accuracy of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols on Acupuncture Healthcare systematic reviews systematic review protocols acupuncture |
| title | Quotation Accuracy of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols on Acupuncture |
| title_full | Quotation Accuracy of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols on Acupuncture |
| title_fullStr | Quotation Accuracy of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols on Acupuncture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quotation Accuracy of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols on Acupuncture |
| title_short | Quotation Accuracy of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols on Acupuncture |
| title_sort | quotation accuracy of systematic review and meta analysis protocols on acupuncture |
| topic | systematic reviews systematic review protocols acupuncture |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/1/55 |
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