Accuracy of Abstracts in Pharmacy Journals for Original Research Articles – Pubrica

1. AccuracyofAbstracts inPharmacyJournals for OriginalResearch Articles AnAcademicpresentationby Dr.NancyAgnes,Head,TechnicalOperations,Pubrica Group:www.pubrica.com Email:sales@pubrica.com

2. Today'sOutline In brief Introduction Methods Summary AboutPubrica

3. Inbrief Although original research publications are widely available, the accuracy of abstracts describing them is critical, as readers of biomedical literature may not haveaccesstothefull-textitem. Previous studies have shown differences between published original research abstracts and the full-text paper.

4. An omission, defined as data in the abstract that was not found in writingan originalresearcharticle,wasoneoftheoutcomemeasures. Furthermore, abstracts were deemed deficient if they contained an omission, inaccurate factual (i.e., quantitative and qualitative) information presented in the abstract that differed from the evidence contained in the text, an inconsistency in following the respective journal's "Instructions for Authors," or a discrepancy between the placement of text in the manuscript and astructured abstract.

6. This research shows that abstracts for original research papers published in pharmacy-specific publications mustbe improved. Authorsandpeerreviewersshouldcarefullyexaminethecontentsofthe abstracttoverifythatitcorrectlydescribesthefull-textarticle.

7. Introduction Healthcarepractitionerscontinuouslysearchtheliteraturetoprovide supportingevidencefordecisionsandjustificationforpatient-careactions. Multiple citations maybe located even after conducting literature searches that incorporate appropriate searchtechniques. Atthispoint,thesearchermustreviewtheinformationinatime-efficient mannerandselectthemostrelevantarticles.

8. Many users will read the article abstract to obtain a quick overview and determinewhethertheentirearticleshouldberead. The abstract of an original research manuscript writing article(e.g.,clinical trial) published in the biomedical literature is considered a synopsis of the essential principles of thestudy. The background, purpose, basic methodology, key results, and a general conclusion should be presented within the abstract. Furthermore, specific data on essential aspects of the study and statistical significance should beprovided.

9. Another component of an informative abstract is the presentation of unbiased information. Abstracts are frequently read since these are providedbyindexing/abstractingservicesandareplacedatthebeginning of thearticles. Theabundanceofpublishedmaterialscompetingwiththefiniteamountof time available to stay current with the literature may force many practitionerstoresorttoreadingonlythearticleabstract.

10. Thus, the accuracy of an abstract of the original research paper is imperative since biomedical literature readers may not evaluate theentire articleorhaveaccesstothefull-textarticle(althoughdecisionsshouldnot be made based upon only the abstract). Most abstracts are restricted toa word limit, usually < 500words.

11. One study reported that 68% of original research abstracts evaluated in one leading medical journal contained discrepancies (i.e., inconsistencies andomissions)betweentheabstractandthefull-textarticle. The other study reported that 52 of 400 (13%) original research abstracts evaluated in 8 psychology journals were deficient (i.e., contained an inconsistencyoromissionbetweentheabstractandfulltext).

12. Methods The abstracts of original research articles published in 6 pharmacyspecific journals were evaluated. The following criteria were used to select the journals for thisproject: The primary focus of pharmacy-relatedactivities, Publish originalresearch, Widely circulated,and Representnationalpharmacyorganizationsandadvocateclinical pharmacypractice.

13. Each abstract also was evaluated for consistency with "Instructions for Authors" specific for each journal and assessed for placement of the text within the body of structured abstracts consistent with the order in the scientific original researcharticle. After each abstract was evaluated, it was classified as deficient if any omission, quantitative and qualitativeinaccuracy, inconsistency in following the "Instructions for Authors" for the respective journal, or discrepancy between the placement of information in the full-text articlea structured abstractoccurred.

14. Summary The results of this study document that omissions and discrepancies are present in abstracts for original research articles published in the selected pharmacyjournals. Readers of the biomedical and pharmacy literature should be aware of abstract inaccuracies while conducting literature searches and reading research articleabstracts. In addition, educators need to emphasize the importance of reading the full-text article in thelearning process.

15. Furthermore, both authors and peer reviewersshould scrutinize the abstract to ensure that data in the abstract accurately represent the article'scontent. Also, revision of the "Instructions for Authors," including more specific guidelines addressing these issues, may present a possible solution for discrepancies found inabstracts.

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