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A review of reproducible and transparent research practices in urology publications from 2014 to2018

A review of reproducible and transparent research practices in urology publications from 2014 to2018

Authors :
Shelby Rauh
Bradley S. Johnson
Aaron Bowers
Daniel Tritz
Benjamin Matthew Vassar
Source :
BMC Urology, Vol 22, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
BMC, 2022.

Abstract

Abstract Background Reproducibility is essential for the integrity of scientific research. Reproducibility is measured by the ability of different investigators to replicate the outcomes of an original publication using the same materials and procedures. Unfortunately, reproducibility is not currently a standard being met by most scientific research. Methods For this review, we sampled 300 publications in the field of urology to assess for 14 indicators of reproducibility including material availability, raw data availability, analysis script availability, pre-registration information, links to protocols, and if the publication was available free to the public. Publications were also assessed for statements about conflicts of interest and funding sources. Results Of the 300 sample publications, 171 contained empirical data available for analysis of reproducibility. Of the 171 articles with empirical data to analyze, 0.58% provided links to protocols, 4.09% provided access to raw data, 3.09% provided access to materials, and 4.68% were pre-registered. None of the studies provided analysis scripts. Our review is cross-sectional in nature, including only PubMed indexed journals-published in English-and within a finite time period. Thus, our results should be interpreted in light of these considerations. Conclusion Current urology research does not consistently provide the components needed to reproduce original studies. Collaborative efforts from investigators and journal editors are needed to improve research quality while minimizing waste and patient risk.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
14712490
Volume :
22
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
BMC Urology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.5387d59104524fad84b03fe27462e7ac
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12894-022-01059-8