Background: The synthesis of evidence is a fundamental component of transparent decision-making across sectors, as best exemplified by the evidence-based health care movement of the last 30 years. However, the rise of predatory journals has brought to attention the rate at which fraudulent or erroneous data are invading the body of available research literature. This subsequently taints the evidence syntheses that utilize these data, and the decision-making process is compromised.
Objective: This abstract describes an in-progress scoping review to catalogue and characterize previously reported tools, techniques, methods, and other processes that have been suggested for use or have been used by evidence synthesizers to detect or mitigate the impact of fraudulent or erroneous data.
Methods: In accordance with the JBI Methodology for Scoping Reviews, we are conducting a rigorous and comprehensive search of the literature to identify all peer-reviewed articles, commentaries, books, and editorials that describe at least one tool, technique, method, or process with the explicit purpose of identifying or mitigating the impact of fraudulent or erroneous data, within any evidence synthesis, in any field. Manuals or handbooks and guidance from universities, other major organizations, and libraries will also be considered.
Results: As this scoping review is ongoing, we will present our early findings, including the results of our search and screening processes as well as preliminary details on identified tools, techniques, methods, or processes identified.
Conclusion: The results of this scoping review will provide descriptions as to the strengths, limitations, and uses of every tool, technique, method, or process that exists for researchers to consider to use to maintain the integrity of their evidence synthesis.