Article type
Year
Abstract
Background:
Malaysia has been carrying out author training for the past 10 years using materials initially from the Australasian Cochrane Centre and more recently the Standard training materials which include information on resources available to authors.
Objective:
To assess the awareness and to evaluate the use of available Cochrane resources by Malaysian authors.
Method:
We sent a URL link to an online-based survey to 220 Malaysian Cochrane authors whose emails were retrieved from Archie (Cochrane's information management system). We surveyed awareness and use of the following: local resources, The Cochrane Library (CL), Cochrane online training resources (OTR) and other website materials of the Cochrane Collaboration. There were 21 multiple choice questions and one open-ended question. Results were automatically generated, but did not permit cross tabulation.
Results:
A total of 103 authors responded to the survey, 80 of whom completed all questions. We included partial respondents in the analyses; 51% were clinicians. 48% were contact authors. Only 12% had never attended any face-to-face Cochrane training; 82% of authors had consulted authors within their own institutions while 50% had frequently or sometimes consulted a Malaysian Cochrane trainer. Thirty-four per cent did not have full text access to CL, while 44% reported frequent-to-always using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Notably 70%, 53% and 82% had not heard of, or had heard of but never used, the journal club, Cochrane Learning and the podcasts, respectively. Only 50% and 67% had used OTR and online webinars. Cochrane Multimedia Portal and the Cochrane Methods Newsletter was not known to or used by 71% and 68%. The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions was well known, though notably 10% to 12% had not heard of it; 50% and 74% had not heard of or used the Cochrane Style Guide or MECIR standards.
Conclusion:
Newer online resources require more aggressive introductions to authors, noting their importance in capacity building. Further research might help understand whether Malaysian authors prefer to consult others than use written resources.
Malaysia has been carrying out author training for the past 10 years using materials initially from the Australasian Cochrane Centre and more recently the Standard training materials which include information on resources available to authors.
Objective:
To assess the awareness and to evaluate the use of available Cochrane resources by Malaysian authors.
Method:
We sent a URL link to an online-based survey to 220 Malaysian Cochrane authors whose emails were retrieved from Archie (Cochrane's information management system). We surveyed awareness and use of the following: local resources, The Cochrane Library (CL), Cochrane online training resources (OTR) and other website materials of the Cochrane Collaboration. There were 21 multiple choice questions and one open-ended question. Results were automatically generated, but did not permit cross tabulation.
Results:
A total of 103 authors responded to the survey, 80 of whom completed all questions. We included partial respondents in the analyses; 51% were clinicians. 48% were contact authors. Only 12% had never attended any face-to-face Cochrane training; 82% of authors had consulted authors within their own institutions while 50% had frequently or sometimes consulted a Malaysian Cochrane trainer. Thirty-four per cent did not have full text access to CL, while 44% reported frequent-to-always using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Notably 70%, 53% and 82% had not heard of, or had heard of but never used, the journal club, Cochrane Learning and the podcasts, respectively. Only 50% and 67% had used OTR and online webinars. Cochrane Multimedia Portal and the Cochrane Methods Newsletter was not known to or used by 71% and 68%. The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions was well known, though notably 10% to 12% had not heard of it; 50% and 74% had not heard of or used the Cochrane Style Guide or MECIR standards.
Conclusion:
Newer online resources require more aggressive introductions to authors, noting their importance in capacity building. Further research might help understand whether Malaysian authors prefer to consult others than use written resources.