Redundant / overlapping / duplicated review question; leads to research waste

This problem is addressed in MECIR. Authors of systematic reviews should ascertain whether any existing similar reviews have been published or are ongoing before commencing their review otherwise this can lead to duplicated efforts and research waste.

Articles that support this problem:

Tai Chi and Parkinson's disease (PD): A systematic overview of the scientific quality of the past systematic reviews

2019 : Complementary therapies in medicine

An overview and methodological assessment of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of enhanced recovery programmes in colorectal surgery

2014 : Bmj open

The mass production of redundant, misleading, and conflicted systematic reviews and meta‐analyses

2016 : The milbank quarterly

Systematic review finds overlapping reviews were not mentioned in every other overview

2014 : Journal of clinical epidemiology

Multiple overlapping systematic reviews facilitate the origin of disputes: the case of thrombolytic therapy for pulmonary embolism

2018 : Journal of clinical epidemiology

Replication, Duplication, and Waste in a Quarter Million Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

2018 : Circulation. cardiovascular quality & outcomes

Overlapping systematic reviews of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction comparing hamstring autograft with bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft: why are they different?

2007 : Jbjs

Discrepancies in meta-analyses answering the same clinical question were hard to explain: a meta-epidemiological study

2020 : Journal of clinical epidemiology

The art and science of study identification: a comparative analysis of two systematic reviews

2016 : Bmc medical research methodology

Decisions about lumping vs. splitting of the scope of systematic reviews of complex interventions are not well justified: a case study in systematic reviews of health care professional reminders

2012 : Journal of clinical epidemiology

(Meta) analyze this: systematic reviews might lose credibility

2012 : Nature medicine

Why are Cochrane hepato-biliary reviews undervalued by physicians as an aid for clinical decision-making?

2010 : Digestive and liver disease

Characteristics and quality of systematic reviews of acupuncture, herbal medicines, and homeopathy

2003 : Complementary medicine research

Extent and nature of duplication in PROSPERO using COVID-19-related registrations: a retrospective investigation and survey

2022 : Bmj open

A Call for Improving Research on Pain Neuroscience Education and Chronic Pain: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

2023 : Journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy

Contradictory Findings of Two Recent Meta-Analyses: What Are We Supposed to Believe About Anesthetic Technique in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery?

2021 : Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia

Assessment of Duplicate Evidence in Systematic Reviews of Imaging Findings of Children with COVID-19

2021 : Jama network open

Systematic reviews of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 continue to be poorly conducted and reported: a systematic review

2022 : Journal of clinical epidemiology

Replication of systematic reviews: is it to the benefit or detriment of methodological quality?

2023 : Journal of clinical epidemiology

Exploring the relationship between the number of systematic reviews and quality of evidence: an orthognathic surgery-based study

2024 : Oral surgery oral medicine oral pathology and oral radiology