Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28912002›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical epidemiology2017

Living systematic review: 1. Introduction-the why, what, when, and how.

Julian H Elliott, Anneliese Synnot, Tari Turner, Mark Simmonds, Elie A Akl, Steve McDonald, Georgia Salanti, Joerg Meerpohl, Harriet MacLehose, John Hilton and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical epidemiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 277 papers, 52 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
277citing papers in PubMed, 52 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

277 citing papers in PubMed, 52 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  10. Stem cell injections for osteoarthritis of the knee.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
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217 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Julian H ElliottCochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 4th Floor, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University and Alfred Hospital, 53 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia. Electronic address: julian.elliott@monash.edu.
Anneliese SynnotCochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 4th Floor, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; Centre for Health Communication and Participation, School of Psychology and Public Health, Level 4, Health Sciences 2, Science Drive, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia.
Tari TurnerCochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 4th Floor, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Mark SimmondsCentre for Reviews and Dissemination, A/B Block, Alcuin College, University of York, York YO10 5DD, York, UK.
Elie A AklDepartment of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut, Office Gefinor Center Block B, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, American University of Beirut, Office Gefinor Center Block B, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
Steve McDonaldCochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 4th Floor, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Georgia SalantiInstitute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Finkenhubelweg 11, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Joerg MeerpohlCochrane Germany, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Breisacher Str. 153, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.
Harriet MacLehoseCochrane Editorial Unit, Cochrane, St Albans House, 57-59 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QX, UK.
John HiltonCochrane Editorial Unit, Cochrane, St Albans House, 57-59 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QX, UK.
David ToveyCochrane Editorial Unit, Cochrane, St Albans House, 57-59 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QX, UK.
Ian ShemiltEPPI-Centre, Institute of Education, University College London, 18 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0NR, UK.
James ThomasEPPI-Centre, Institute of Education, University College London, 18 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0NR, UK.
Living Systematic Review Network

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/J005037/1Medical Research Council MR/N015665/1National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research NC/L000970/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Systematic reviews are difficult to keep up to date, but failure to do so leads to a decay in review currency, accuracy, and utility. We are developing a novel approach to systematic review updating termed "Living systematic review" (LSR): systematic reviews that are continually updated, incorporating relevant new evidence as it becomes available. LSRs may be particularly important in fields where research evidence is emerging rapidly, current evidence is uncertain, and new research may change policy or practice decisions. We hypothesize that a continual approach to updating will achieve greater currency and validity, and increase the benefits to end users, with feasible resource requirements over time.

Indexed as

Systematic Reviews as TopicAccess to InformationBiomedical ResearchGuidelines as TopicHumansInformation DisseminationTime FactorsEvidence synthesisGuidelinesLiving guidelinesLiving systematic reviewSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID28912002

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.