Accuracy of Abstracts in Pharmacy Journals for Original Research Articles An Academic presentation by Dr. Nancy Agnes, Head, Technical O perations, Pubrica Group: www.pubrica.com Email: sales@pubrica.com
Today's Outline In brief Introduction Methods S um m ary About Pubrica
In brief
Although original r esearch publications are widely available, the accuracy of abstracts describing t h e m is critical, as readers of biomedical literature m a y not have access to the full-text item. Previous studies have shown differences between published original research abstracts a n d the full-text paper.
An omission, defined as d a t a in the abstract that was not found in w riting a n o riginal research article, was one of the out co me measures. Furthermore, abstracts were d e e m e d deficient if they contained a n omission, inaccurate factual (i.e., quantitative a n d qualitative) information presented in the abstract that differed from the evidence contained in the text, a n inconsistency in following the respective journal's "Instructions for Authors," or a discrepancy between the placement of text in the manuscript a n d a structured abstract.
This research shows that abstracts for original research papers published in pharmacy-specific publications m u s t be improved. Authors a nd p eer reviewers should c a refully exa m ine the contents of the abstract to verify that it correctly describes the full-text article.
Introductio n
Healthcare practitioners c ontinuously sea rch the litera ture to p rovid e supporting evidence for decisions a n d justification for patient-care actions. Multiple citations m a y be located even after conducting literature searches that incorporate appropriate search techniques. At this p oint, the sea rcher m u st review the inform a tion in a tim eefficient m an n er a n d select the m os t relevant articles.
Many users will read the article abstract to obtain a quick overview a n d determine whether the entire article should be read. The abstract of a n o riginal research manuscript writing article (e.g., clinical trial) published in the biomedical literature is considered a synopsis of the essential principles of the study. The background, purpose, basic methodology, key results, a n d a general conclusion should be presented within the abstract. Furthermore, specific d a t a on essential aspects of the study a n d statistical significance should be provided.
Another c o mp on e nt of a n informative abstract is the presentation of unbiased information. Abstracts are frequently read since these are provided b y indexing/abstracting services a n d are placed a t the beginning of the articles. The ab un da nce of published materials c om pet i ng with the finite a m o u n t of time available to stay current with the literature m a y force m a n y practitioners to resort to reading only the article abstract.
Thus, the accuracy of a n abstract of the original research paper is imperative since biomedical literature readers m a y not evaluate the entire article or have access to the full-text article ( a l t h o u g h decisions should not be m a d e based upon only the abstract). Most abstracts are restricted to a word limit, usually < 500 words.
One study reported that 68% of original research abstracts evaluated in one leading medical journal contained discrepancies (i.e., inconsistencies a n d omissions) between the abstract a n d the full-text article. The other study reported that 52 of 400 (13%) original research abstracts evaluated in 8 psychology journals were deficient (i.e., contained a n inconsistency or omission between the abstract a n d full text).
Method s
The abstracts of original research articles published in 6 p h a r m a c y specific journals were evaluated. The following criteria were used to select the journals for this project:
(1) The primary focus of pharmacy-related activities, (2) Publish original research, (3) Widely circulated, a n d (4) Represent national p h a r m a c y organizations a n d advocate clinical p h a r m a c y practice.
Each abstract also was evaluated for consistency with "Instructions for Authors" specific for each journal a n d assessed for placement of the text within the bo dy of structured abstracts consistent with the order in the s cientific original research article. After each abstract was evaluated, it was classified as deficient if any omission, quantitative a n d qualitative inaccuracy, inconsistency in following the "Instructions for Authors" for the respective journal, or discrepancy between the pl acement of information in the full-text article a structured abstract occurred.
Summar y
The results of this study d o c u m e n t that omissions a n d discrepancies are present in abstracts for original research articles published in the selected p h a r m a c y journals. Readers of the biomedical a n d pharmacy literature should be aware of abstract inaccuracies while conducting literature searches a n d reading research article abstracts. In addition, educators need to emphasize the importance of reading the full-text article in the learning process.
Furthermore, both authors a n d peer reviewers should scrutinize the abstract to ensure that d a t a in the abstract accurately represent the article's content. Also, revision of the "Instructions for Authors," including more specific guidelines addressing these issues, m a y present a possible solution for discrepancies found in abstracts.
About Pubrica
Pubrica has worked as a medical writer in the past. Clinical Research, Pharmacology, Public Health, Regulatory Writing, Clinical Report Forms (Crf), Biostatistics, Psychology, Life Science, Dentistry, Radiology, Dermatology, Diabetology, Gynecology, Cardiology, Biochemistry, Forensics, Surgery, Neurology, Psychiatry, Genomics, Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical, Fmcg Companies, Hospitals, Universities, Pubrica's t e a m of medical professionals offer unique medical writing
CONTACT US UNITED K I N G D O M
+ 4 4 1618186353 INDIA
+91-9884350006 EMAIL
sales@pubrica.com