| Ref ID | 540 |
| First Author | A. C. Tricco |
| Journal | PLOS ONE |
| Year Of Publishing | 2008 |
| URL | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18997866/ |
| Keywords |
• General medical • Currency • Cochrane • Protocols |
| Problem(s) |
• Unpublished or "zombie" reviews (the file-drawer effect) • Not updated regularly |
| Article Type | Empirical |
| Article Subtype | Cross-sectional survey/Methodological systematic review |
| First Author Country | Canada |
| Aim | To follow up the frequency of published and unpublished Cochrane reviews from Cochrane protocols that were registered in 2000 and 2001. |
| Level of Investigation | Descriptive |
| Summary of Findings | 19.1% of protocols were not published as full Cochrane reviews by 2008. 80.9% were published in full. Reasons for non-completion included: no reason provided (14.1%), protocol withdrawn due to out-datedness (12.7%), Cochrane review authors lacked time or interest (9.9%), and operational issues (e.g., the lead author changed jobs). Of those completed, only 33.2% had been subsequently updated. |
| Number of systematic reviews included | 372 |
| Number of eligible systematic reviews assessed | 411 |
| Treatment impacted | No |
| Treatment impacted description | |
| Interpretation impacted | Not Applicable |
| Interpretation impacted description |