Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: As part of the European Union Biomedical and Health Research Programme (BIOMED), seven European Cochrane Centres (in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom) are collaborating in a three-year project, co-ordinated by the UK Cochrane Centre, to identify reports of controlled trials by handsearching specialized health care journals published in Western Europe. The aim of the project is to ensure that by June 2001, all reports of controlled trials identified in these journals are accessible through The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR), published as part of The Cochrane Library.
Methods: Specialized health care journals published in Western Europe have been ranked according to their likely yield of reports of controlled trials. Each partner in the project has recruited and trained handsearchers to identify relevant reports. The reports are coded as randomized controlled trials or controlled clinical trials. All reports identified in this way are verified and re-coded, where necessary, as a quality control measure to try to avoid over-inclusion. Random checks of the handsearching are also made to try to avoid under-inclusion. For reports in languages other than English, the title is translated into English by native language speakers in the collaborating teams. Electronic records are generated and submitted for inclusion in CCTR. They are also forwarded to the (US) National Library of Medicine, via the New England Cochrane Center, for re-tagging with the appropriate Publication Type terms in MEDLINE.
Results: During the first 24 months of the project (up to end of June 2000), 186 specialized health care journals published in 12 European countries in 6 languages were being handsearched, representing a total of 3,586 journal years. So far, 23,088 reports of controlled trials have been identified, of which 17,129 were not previously coded as randomized controlled trials in MEDLINE. Of these, 16,908 reports have been processed, the titles translated into English where required and submitted for inclusion in CCTR for Issue 4, 2000 of The Cochrane Library.
Conclusions: This project has already made a major contribution to the Cochrane Collaboration and beyond by improving access to reports of controlled trials published in Europe, through their inclusion in CCTR. In particular, trials that have only been published in languages other than English have been identified and these are essential for reducing the risk of bias in systematic reviews. This project will provide further substantial support to those preparing systematic reviews, through the continued identification of reports of controlled trials in its final year.
Acknowledgements: This project is funded by the European Union Biomedical and Health Research Programme (BIOMED) under contract number BMH4-CT98-3803. Financial support has also been received from governmental bodies and a number of journal editors and publishers.
Methods: Specialized health care journals published in Western Europe have been ranked according to their likely yield of reports of controlled trials. Each partner in the project has recruited and trained handsearchers to identify relevant reports. The reports are coded as randomized controlled trials or controlled clinical trials. All reports identified in this way are verified and re-coded, where necessary, as a quality control measure to try to avoid over-inclusion. Random checks of the handsearching are also made to try to avoid under-inclusion. For reports in languages other than English, the title is translated into English by native language speakers in the collaborating teams. Electronic records are generated and submitted for inclusion in CCTR. They are also forwarded to the (US) National Library of Medicine, via the New England Cochrane Center, for re-tagging with the appropriate Publication Type terms in MEDLINE.
Results: During the first 24 months of the project (up to end of June 2000), 186 specialized health care journals published in 12 European countries in 6 languages were being handsearched, representing a total of 3,586 journal years. So far, 23,088 reports of controlled trials have been identified, of which 17,129 were not previously coded as randomized controlled trials in MEDLINE. Of these, 16,908 reports have been processed, the titles translated into English where required and submitted for inclusion in CCTR for Issue 4, 2000 of The Cochrane Library.
Conclusions: This project has already made a major contribution to the Cochrane Collaboration and beyond by improving access to reports of controlled trials published in Europe, through their inclusion in CCTR. In particular, trials that have only been published in languages other than English have been identified and these are essential for reducing the risk of bias in systematic reviews. This project will provide further substantial support to those preparing systematic reviews, through the continued identification of reports of controlled trials in its final year.
Acknowledgements: This project is funded by the European Union Biomedical and Health Research Programme (BIOMED) under contract number BMH4-CT98-3803. Financial support has also been received from governmental bodies and a number of journal editors and publishers.