Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40450284›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of health geographics2025

The development and validation of Spatial Methodology Appraisal of Research Tool (SMART): a concept mapping study.

Sarah M Wood, Anna Wong Shee, Laura Alston, Kevin Mc Namara, Alex Donaldson, Neil T Coffee, Vincent L Versace

Abstract readValidation Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of health geographics, 2025. 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. 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

7 authors.

Sarah M WoodDeakin Rural Health, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia. woodsar@deakin.edu.au.
Anna Wong SheeDeakin Rural Health, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia.
Laura AlstonDeakin Rural Health, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia.
Kevin Mc NamaraDeakin Rural Health, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia.
Alex DonaldsonCentre for Sport and Social Impact, La Trobe Business School, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia.
Neil T CoffeeDeakin Rural Health, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia.
Vincent L VersaceDeakin Rural Health, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study developed and validated the Spatial Methodology Appraisal of Research Tool (SMART) using group concept mapping with discipline experts. The 16-item tool comprises four domains: (1) methods preliminaries, (2) data quality, (3) spatial data problems, and (4) spatial analysis methods. Validity testing demonstrated excellent content validity and expert agreement. Future studies will assess its usability and reliability to ensure consistent results. Its application in spatial epidemiology and health geography will enable more rigorous and transparent evidence synthesis. This contribution represents a significant step forward in improving the standards of quality appraisal in spatial research.

Indexed as

Concept FormationGeographic MappingResearch DesignSpatial AnalysisHumansReproducibility of ResultsConcept mappingCritical appraisalHealth geographyMethodological qualityQuality appraisalSpatial epidemiologySystematic review

Identifiers

PMID40450284
PMCPMC12125879

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.