Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41982821›Full record

ArticleCochrane evidence synthesis and methods2026

The Impact on Systematic Reviews of Risk of Bias Assessment Changes From Conference Abstracts to Full Text.

Ryan P W Kenny, Katie Twentyman, Dawn Craig, Nick Meader, Gill Norman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

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. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

5 authors.

Ryan P W KennyEvidence Synthesis Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9743-4259
Katie TwentymanEvidence Synthesis Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6688-560X
Dawn CraigEvidence Synthesis Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5808-0096
Nick MeaderEvidence Synthesis Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9332-6605
Gill NormanEvidence Synthesis Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3972-5733

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Conference abstracts are commonly included in systematic reviews of evidence. Due to limitations in word count, conference abstracts often lack data or information. This causes issues for the assessment of risk of bias (RoB). We therefore aimed to compare the RoB rating, using the Cochrane RoB tool, for abstracts and full texts. This was accomplished using previously published Cochrane reviews and comparing RoB ratings for included studies originally included as an abstract and later as full text. To accomplish this, we searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for reviews with updates across numerous disciplines (depression, anxiety, surgical, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and musculoskeletal disease). We identified 29 reviews, with 52 randomized controlled trials included, which had an abstract and subsequent full text available. If abstracts and full texts were not assessed using the Cochrane RoB tool, we obtained the texts and performed the assessment (

Indexed as

gray literaturerandomized controlled trialsrisk of biassystematic review

Identifiers

PMID41982821
PMCPMC13073319

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.