Resource use during systematic review production varies widely: a scoping review

Abstract

on behalf of working group 3 in the EVBRES COST Action (https://evbres.eu)

Resource use during systematic review production varies widely: a scoping review: authors’ reply

“…We find the issue very important. However, as our scoping review shows such barriers exists even in high-and middleincome countries [2] , we therefore fully acknowledge the challenges authors of SRs face anywhere.…”

“…The findings of our scoping review showed that factors such as resource unavailability, poor internet service, and lack of supportive software like general web-based collaborative software or specific SR-tailored software like abstract screening programs can be reasons why SR production is more resource intensive than necessary [2] . As Morales-Plaza et al highlight, these are challenges that author's in low-and lower-middle-income countries, in particular, face since medical databases, journal articles, and software are still often behind a paywall.…”

Assessing author willingness to enter study information into structured data templates as part of the manuscript submission process: A pilot study

“…The processes of identifying and noting salient details to summarize study methods and results (referred to as “data extraction”), and making judgements pertaining to study evaluation, are two of the most time- and resource-intensive aspects of conducting a systematic review ( Nussbaumer-Streit et al., 2021 ; Wallace et al., 2016 ; Tsafnat et al., 2014 ). Thus, there is keen interest in assessing the extent to which this process could be automated or semi-automated by using natural language processing (NLP) methods ( O'Connor et al., 2019 ).…”

Resource use during systematic review production varies widely: a scoping review: response to Nussbaumer-Streit et al.

“…We have read the recent article by Nussbaumer-Streit et al [1] about mapping the use of resources during the production of systematic reviews (SRs) and why some steps of its production consume many resources. It is gratifying that expert methodologists are interested in identifying these knowledge gaps and helping to improve the efficiency of SR production.…”

“…The first thing that stands out is that all the study authors belong to high-and upper-middle-income countries, not including authors from lower-and lower-middleincome countries, making it impossible to visualize SR production in the latter countries. Thus, socioeconomic difficulties and attention to health inequities and not only academic, technological, or translation-related barriers can interrupt the performance of SRs in developing countries [1] . Furthermore, despite the efforts of non-governmental entities, such as Cochrane, to optimize the production of this type of study, approximately developed countries produce about 200 times more SRs than low-income countries [2] .…”