Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35848996›Full record

ReviewBone & joint open2022

A systematic analysis of preprints in Trauma & Orthopaedic surgery.

Sandro Hodel, Farah Selman, Sylvano Mania, Steven M Maurer, Christoph J Laux, Mazda Farshad

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Bone & joint open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Sandro HodelDepartment of Orthopedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-1521-2527
Farah SelmanDepartment of Orthopedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-7283-4301
Sylvano ManiaDepartment of Orthopedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-4844-5351
Steven M MaurerDepartment of Orthopedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-4346-0528
Christoph J LauxDepartment of Orthopedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-5446-3057
Mazda FarshadDepartment of Orthopedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-7190-1127
University of Zurich · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsPreprint servers allow authors to publish full-text manuscripts or interim findings prior to undergoing peer review. Several preprint servers have extended their services to biological sciences, clinical research, and medicine. The purpose of this study was to systematically identify and analyze all articles related to Trauma & Orthopaedic (T&O) surgery published in five medical preprint servers, and to investigate the factors that influence the subsequent rate of publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

methodsAll preprints covering T&O surgery were systematically searched in five medical preprint servers (medRxiv, OSF Preprints, Preprints.org, PeerJ, and Research Square) and subsequently identified after a minimum of 12 months by searching for the title, keywords, and corresponding author in Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, and the Web of Science. Subsequent publication of a work was defined as publication in a peer-reviewed indexed journal. The rate of publication and time to peer-reviewed publication were assessed. Differences in definitive publication rates of preprints according to geographical origin and level of evidence were analyzed.

resultsThe number of preprints increased from 2014 to 2020 (p < 0.001). A total of 38.6% of the identified preprints (n = 331) were published in a peer-reviewed indexed journal after a mean time of 8.7 months (SD 5.4 (1 to 27)). The highest proportion of missing subsequent publications was in the preprints originating from Africa, Asia/Middle East, and South America, or in those that covered clinical research with a lower level of evidence (p < 0.001).

conclusionPreprints are being published in increasing numbers in T&O surgery. Depending on the geographical origin and level of evidence, almost two-thirds of preprints are not subsequently published in a peer-reviewed indexed journal after one year. This raises major concerns regarding the dissemination and persistence of potentially wrong scientific work that bypasses peer review, and the orthopaedic community should discuss appropriate preventive measures.Cite this article:

Indexed as

binomial testbiological scienceschi-squared testclinicianDigital healthhipMann-Whitney U testOrthopaedicsorthopaedic surgeryPreprintsrandomized controlled trialsTraumatrauma surgery

Identifiers

PMID35848996
PMCPMC9350703
OpenAlexW4285725803

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.