ArticleCochrane evidence synthesis and methods2026
Systematic Reviews as Part of Doctoral Theses and for the Promotion to Associate Professor: A Descriptive Study of University Policies in Sweden.
Article in Cochrane evidence synthesis and methods, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Systematic Reviews as Part of Doctoral Theses and for the Promotion to Associate Professor: A Descriptive Study of University Policies in Sweden.Cochrane evidence synthesis and methods · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Almost a decade ago, about half of biomedical PhD programs across Europe specifically stated that systematic reviews could not be accepted as part of a doctoral thesis, illustrating limited merit value at that time. The aim of this study was to explore current Swedish university policies on this research design. Methods: Policy documents for PhD theses and applications to associate professor positions were obtained from all medical faculties at universities in Sweden. Instructions regarding systematic reviews, with focus on their merit value and related aspects, were independently extracted and categorized by two authors, with discrepancies resolved in consensus discussions. Results: All seven medical faculties accepted at least one systematic review within a PhD thesis, five restricted the number of such studies accepted, and five provided instructions regarding this study design. Regarding policies for promotion to associate professor, six medical faculties accepted at least one published systematic review to merit recognition-the remaining one required meta-analyses for acceptance-and three explicitly restricted the number of systematic reviews. No restrictions or guidance were provided for other designs intended to answer specific research questions. Conclusion: As of 2025, systematic reviews appear to be generally recognized as contributing to authors' academic merit. For this research design exclusively, some universities impose restrictions that may limit their recognition, and some provide guidance which may help ensure quality in reporting. These findings may encourage research to evaluate the merit value of systematic reviews in other settings, and to examine potential implications of restrictions and guidance in policy documents.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.