Assessing journal author guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: Findings from an institutional sample Journal Article
| Authors: | Goldberg, J.; Boyce, L. M.; Soudant, C.; Godwin, K. |
| Article Title: | Assessing journal author guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: Findings from an institutional sample |
| Abstract: | Objective: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) are designed to be rigorous research methodologies that synthesize information and inform practice. An increase in their publication runs parallel to quality concerns and a movement toward standards to improve reporting and methodology. With the goal of informing the guidance librarians provide to SR/MA teams, this study assesses online journal author guidelines from an institutional sample to determine whether these author guidelines address SR/MA methodological quality. Methods: A Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate) search identified SRs/MAs published in 2014-2019 by authors affiliated with a single institution. The AMSTAR 2 checklist was used to develop an assessment tool of closed questions specific to measures for SR/MA methodological quality in author guidelines, with questions added about author guidelines in general. Multiple reviewers completed the assessment. Results: The author guidelines of 141 journals were evaluated. Less than 20% addressed at least one of the assessed measures specific to SR/MA methodological quality. There was wide variation in author guidelines between journals from the same publisher apart from the American Medical Association, which consistently offered in-depth author guidelines. Normalized Eigenfactor and Article Influence Scores did not indicate author guideline breadth. Conclusions: Most author guidelines in the institutional sample did not address SR/MA methodological quality. When consulting with teams embarking on SRs/MAs, librarians should not expect author guidelines to provide details about the requirements of the target journals. Librarians should advise teams to follow established SR/MA standards, contact journal staff, and review SRs/MAs previously published in the journal. |
| Keywords: | systematic review; publishing; meta analysis; professional role; authors; research methodology; librarians; human; library services; quality of care research; electronic publications; journal impact factor; practice guidelines -- evaluation |
| Journal Title: | Journal of the Medical Library Association |
| Volume: | 110 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| ISSN: | 1536-5050 |
| Publisher: | Medical Library Association |
| Date Published: | 2022-01-01 |
| Start Page: | 63 |
| End Page: | 71 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.5195/jmla.2022.1273 |
| PROVIDER: | EBSCOhost |
| PROVIDER: | cinahl |
| PMCID: | PMC8830390 |
| PUBMED: | 35210964 |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | Accession Number: 155262511 -- Entry Date: 20220224 -- Revision Date: 20220224 -- Publication Type: Article; research; tables/charts -- Journal Subset: Computer/Information Science; Double Blind Peer Reviewed; Editorial Board Reviewed; Expert Peer Reviewed; Peer Reviewed; USA -- Special Interest: Evidence-Based Practice -- NLM UID: 101132728. -- Source: Cinahl |
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