Abstract
Certain types of scientific articles, including bibliographic articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, require systematic search of electronic databases. Literature must be searched using clearly specified search terms, dates, and algorithms; article inclusion and exclusion criteria; and explicitly named databases. Search methods must be described in detail to allow reproducibility. In addition, responsibilities of all authors include contributing to study conception, design, data acquisition, analysis or interpretation; drafting or critically revising the work; approving the final version to be published; being accountable for the accuracy and integrity; being available to respond to queries including after publication; being able to identify which co-authors are responsible for which parts; and maintaining primary data and underpinning analysis for at least 10 years. The responsibilities of authorship are vast.
In 2022, in Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, we published an analysis of the top-cited articles on the knee posterolateral corner.
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This article type allows us to direct trainees and researchers to impactful work in a given field. However, in this case we received an expression of concern that the article in question contained errors. After investigation, we determined that errors did exist. The authors have retracted the article.2
With investigation comes opportunity for improvement. Certain types of scientific articles, including bibliographic articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, require formal and reproducible reviews of the literature; in 2023, this process entails methodological search of electronic databases. The literature must be searched systematically using clearly specified search terms, search dates, search algorithm strategies and databases searched, and clearly described article inclusion and exclusion criteria. Such article methods must be described in comprehensive detail so that others, in the future, can reproduce the search.
A high methodological standard is required when performing a systematic search. We have learned, and will require of authors, that future systematic reviews and bibliographic articles abide by the following:
Standards for Systematic Article Search
- 1.Two or more databases should be searched3(e.g., MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane index, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science).
- 2.The exact search algorithm strategy should be described to insure transparency and reproducibility.3
- 3.Two or more reviewers should independently perform study identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion, and a description of how disagreements were resolved should be provided.3
- 4.Authors should consider scanning the reference lists of included articles and/or previous reviews to search for other articles meeting their article inclusion criteria.4,5
- 5.Authors should consider collaboration with a medical librarian.5
- 6.After review of included articles, authors should consider whether to expand their search terms (i.e., posterolateral corner AND posterolateral complex AND posterolateral knee AND PLC).
What is more, the responsibilities of authorship are vast. We remind authors that according to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE),
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authors are accountable for meeting the following:International Committee of Medical Journal Editors
Recommendation for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals.
Recommendation for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals.
https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/
Date accessed: December 1, 2022
Responsibilities of Authors
- 1.Making substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.
- 2.Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
- 3.Approving the final version of the article to be published.
- 4.Agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
- 5.Being able to identify which co-authors are responsible for specific other parts of the work.
- 6.Being confident in the integrity of the contributions of their co-authors.
- 7.Being available throughout the submission and peer-review process to respond to editorial queries in a timely way, and available after publication to respond to critiques of the work and cooperate with any requests from the journal for data or additional information should questions about the paper arise after publication.
- 8.Maintaining primary data and analytic procedures underpinning the published results for at least 10 years. (The ICMJE encourages the preservation of these data in a data repository to ensure their longer-term availability.)
Finally, some believe true peer review begins after publication.
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Thus, as recommended by the ICMJE, readers are always invited to submit comments, questions, criticisms, and letters to the editor about our published articles.International Committee of Medical Journal Editors
Recommendation for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals.
Recommendation for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals.
https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/
Date accessed: December 1, 2022
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Integrity of the medical literature is paramount, as we continually improve the quality of research published in our journals.International Committee of Medical Journal Editors
Recommendation for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals.
Recommendation for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals.
https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/
Date accessed: December 1, 2022
References
- The top 50 articles on knee posterolateral corner injuries.Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2022; 4: e1703-e1711
- Retraction notice.Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2023; 5: e305
- Arthroscopy Journal Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Template.
- Effectiveness and efficiency of search methods in systematic reviews of complex evidence: Audit of primary sources.BMJ. 2005; 331: 1064-1065
- Network meta-analyses could be improved by searching more sources and by involving a librarian.J Clin Epidemiol. 2014; 67: 1001-1007
- Recommendation for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals.https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/Date accessed: December 1, 2022
Article info
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© 2022 by the Arthroscopy Association of North America
