Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37531172›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2023

Comparison of Reporting and Transparency in Published Protocols and Publications in Umbrella Reviews: Scoping Review.

Liang Zhao, Caiyi Shen, Ming Liu, Jiaoyan Zhang, Luying Cheng, Yuanyuan Li, Lanbin Yuan, Junhua Zhang, Jinhui Tian

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2023. 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
–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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Observational
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

9 authors.

Liang ZhaoEvidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8958-074X
Caiyi ShenThe First Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.ORCID 0009-0006-2807-5022
Ming LiuEvidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7796-7197
Jiaoyan ZhangEvidence-Based Nursing Center, School of Nursing, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.ORCID 0009-0004-4535-5283
Luying ChengEvidence-Based Nursing Center, School of Nursing, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.ORCID 0009-0001-9516-0378
Yuanyuan LiEvidence-Based Nursing Center, School of Nursing, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.ORCID 0009-0003-1339-9233
Lanbin YuanThe First Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.ORCID 0009-0003-3282-4717
Junhua ZhangEvidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.ORCID 0009-0002-9351-6753
Jinhui TianEvidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0002-3859-9587

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInconsistencies between a protocol and its umbrella review (UR) may mislead readers about the importance of findings or lead to false-positive results. Furthermore, not documenting and explaining inconsistencies in the UR could reduce its transparency. To our knowledge, no study has examined the methodological consistency of the protocols with their URs and assessed the transparency of the URs when generating evidence.

objectiveThis study aimed to investigate the inconsistency of protocols with their URs in the methodology and assess the transparency of the URs.

methodsWe searched medical-related electronic databases from their inception to January 1, 2022. We investigated inconsistencies between protocols and their publications and transparencies in the search strategy, inclusion criteria, methods of screening and data extraction, quality assessment, and statistical analysis.

resultsWe included 31 protocols and 35 publications. For the search strategy, 39 inconsistencies between the protocols and their publications were found in 26 of the 35 (74%) URs, and 16 of these inconsistencies were indicated and explained. There were 84 inconsistencies between the protocols and their URs regarding the inclusion criteria in 31 of the 35 (89%) URs, and 29 of the inconsistencies were indicated and explained. Deviations from their protocols were found in 12 of the 32 (38%) URs reporting the methods of screening, 14 of the 30 (47%) URs reporting the methods of data extraction, and 11 of the 32 (34%) URs reporting the methods for quality assessment. Of the 35 URs, 6 (17%) were inconsistent with their protocols in terms of the tools for quality assessment; one-half (3/6, 50%) of them indicated and explained the deviations. As for the statistical analysis, 31 of the 35 (89%) URs generated 61 inconsistencies between the publications and their protocols, and 16 inconsistencies were indicated and explained.

conclusionsThere was a high prevalence of inconsistencies between protocols and publications of URs, and more than one-half of the inconsistencies were not indicated and explained in the publications. Therefore, how to promote the transparency of URs will be a major part of future work.

Indexed as

PublicationsResearch DesignDatabases, FactualHumansReview Literature as Topicinconsistencyprotocolpublicationtransparencyumbrella reviews

Identifiers

PMID37531172
PMCPMC10433027

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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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.