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Incorporating data from dissertations in systematic reviews.

A J Vickers1, C Smith

  • 1King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry.

International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care
|August 10, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Searching for unpublished dissertations for systematic reviews is time-consuming and rarely impacts review conclusions. Most dissertations are excluded due to poor methodology or are already published elsewhere.

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Area of Science:

  • Medical research methodology
  • Evidence-based practice

Background:

  • Systematic reviews rely on comprehensive literature searches.
  • The value of including unpublished dissertations in systematic reviews is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the contribution of unpublished dissertations to systematic reviews.
  • To evaluate the impact of dissertation data on review conclusions.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review on infant massage identified 17 dissertations.
  • Each dissertation's inclusion and data contribution were recorded.
  • Searched Cochrane Library for reviews including dissertation data.

Main Results:

  • 13 of 17 dissertations were excluded, primarily for poor methodology.

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  • 3 dissertations were also published as journal articles.
  • Only 1 of 878 Cochrane reviews incorporated dissertation data that could alter conclusions.

    • Conclusions:

    • Including unpublished dissertations requires significant effort and time.
    • Dissertations rarely provide unique data that changes systematic review outcomes.
    • Prioritizing published literature may be more efficient for systematic reviews.