Quotation errors related to the wound management of open lower limb fractures (WOLLF) randomized clinical trial

We assessed the accuracy of quotations in the published literature of the Wound Management of Open Lower Limb Fractures (WOLLF) Randomized Clinical Trial.

A literature search was performed to identify all citations of WOLLF from 2018 to 2021. Duplicate papers, non-English language papers, textbooks, technical tip videos, Ph.D. theses, and other grey literature were excluded from analysis. Eligible publications had their full text assessed by 2 independent reviewers who used a validated framework of error classification.

We identified 62 original papers that met our eligibility criteria and referenced WOLLF. Of the 62 papers, 12 contained a quotation error (12/62, 19%). Errors were classified into major and minor. There were 7 major errors and 5 minor errors. The majority of quotation errors (7/12, 58%) occurred due to multi-referencing, where groups of references were used to support single assertions. There was substantial agreement between the two independent reviewers as determined by a Kappa coefficient of 0.761.

Our study demonstrated a 19% quotation error rate in the literature regarding WOLLF. The majority were due to multi-referencing. We suggest that both authors and reviewers carefully check the source literature of key references.