Dealing with predatory journal articles captured in systematic reviews

Systematic Reviews

Becky Skidmore¹  Kelly D. Cobey²  Danielle B. Rice³ 

[1] Centre for Journalology, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada;Centre for Journalology, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada;School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Ave, Ottawa, Canada;Department of Psychology, 2001 Avenue McGill College, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada;Centre for Journalology, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada;Center for Practice Changing Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Box 201b, K1H 8L6, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada;

关键词: Predatory journals;    Systematic reviews;    Meta-analysis;    Open access;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13643-021-01733-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSystematic reviews appraise and synthesize the results from a body of literature. In healthcare, systematic reviews are also used to develop clinical practice guidelines. An increasingly common concern among systematic reviews is that they may unknowingly capture studies published in “predatory” journals and that these studies will be included in summary estimates and impact results, guidelines, and ultimately, clinical care.FindingsThere is currently no agreed-upon guidance that exists for how best to manage articles from predatory journals that meet the inclusion criteria for a systematic review. We describe a set of actions that authors of systematic reviews can consider when handling articles published in predatory journals: (1) detail methods for addressing predatory journal articles a priori in a study protocol, (2) determine whether included studies are published in open access journals and if they are listed in the directory of open access journals, and (3) conduct a sensitivity analysis with predatory papers excluded from the synthesis.ConclusionEncountering eligible articles published in presumed predatory journals when conducting a review is an increasingly common threat. Developing appropriate methods to account for eligible research published in predatory journals is needed to decrease the potential negative impact of predatory journals on healthcare.

【 授权许可】

CC BY