Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have become central in many research fields, particularly medicine. They offer the highest level of evidence in evidence-based medicine and support the development and revision of clinical practice guidelines, which offer recommendations for clinicians caring for patients with specific diseases and conditions. This review summarizes the concepts of systematic reviews and meta-analyses and provides guidance on reviewing and assessing such papers. A systematic review refers to a review of a research question that uses explicit and systematic methods to identify, select, and critically appraise relevant research. In contrast, a meta-analysis is a quantitative statistical analysis that combines individual results on the same research question to estimate the common or mean effect. Conducting a meta-analysis involves defining a research topic, selecting a study design, searching literature in electronic databases, selecting relevant studies, and conducting the analysis. One can assess the findings of a meta-analysis by interpreting a forest plot and a funnel plot and by examining heterogeneity. When reviewing systematic reviews and meta-analyses, several essential points must be considered, including the originality and significance of the work, the comprehensiveness of the database search, the selection of studies based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, subgroup analyses by various factors, and the interpretation of the results based on the levels of evidence. This review will provide readers with helpful guidance to help them read, understand, and evaluate these articles.
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Purpose This study aimed to suggest a more suitable study design and the corresponding reporting guidelines in the papers published in the Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professionals from January 2021 to September 2022.
Methods Among 59 papers published in the Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professionals from January 2021 to September 2022, research articles, review articles, and brief reports were selected. The followings were analyzed: first, the percentage of articles describing the study design in the title, abstracts, or methods; second, the portion of articles describing reporting guidelines; third, the types of study design and corresponding reporting guidelines; and fourth, the suggestion of a more suitable study design based on the study design algorithm for medical literature on interventions, systematic reviews & other review types, and epidemiological studies overview.
Results Out of 45 articles, 44 described study designs (97.8%). Out of 44, 19 articles were suggested to be described with more suitable study designs, which mainly occurred in before-and-after studies, diagnostic research, and non-randomized trials. Of the 18 reporting guidelines mentioned, 8 (44.4%) were considered perfect. STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) was used for descriptive studies, before-and-after studies, and randomized controlled trials; however, its use should be reconsidered.
Conclusion Some declarations of study design and reporting guidelines were suggested to be described with more suitable ones. Education and training on study design and reporting guidelines for researchers are needed, and reporting guideline policies for descriptive studies should also be implemented.
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Issues in the 3rd year of the COVID-19 pandemic, including computer-based testing, study design, ChatGPT, journal metrics, and appreciation to reviewers Sun Huh Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2023; 20: 5. CrossRef
A comprehensive perspective on the interaction between gut microbiota and COVID-19 vaccines Ming Hong, Tin Lan, Qiuxia Li, Binfei Li, Yong Yuan, Feng Xu, Weijia Wang Gut Microbes.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Why do editors of local nursing society journals strive to have their journals included in MEDLINE? A case study of the Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing Sun Huh Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing.2023; 29(3): 147. CrossRef
Purpose Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) has been adopted in licensing examinations because it improves the efficiency and accuracy of the tests, as shown in many studies. This simulation study investigated CAT scoring and item selection methods for the Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE).
Methods This study used a post-hoc (real data) simulation design. The item bank used in this study included all items from the January 2017 KMLE. All CAT algorithms for this study were implemented using the ‘catR’ package in the R program.
Results In terms of accuracy, the Rasch and 2-parametric logistic (PL) models performed better than the 3PL model. The ‘modal a posteriori’ and ‘expected a posterior’ methods provided more accurate estimates than maximum likelihood estimation or weighted likelihood estimation. Furthermore, maximum posterior weighted information and minimum expected posterior variance performed better than other item selection methods. In terms of efficiency, the Rasch model is recommended to reduce test length.
Conclusion Before implementing live CAT, a simulation study should be performed under varied test conditions. Based on a simulation study, and based on the results, specific scoring and item selection methods should be predetermined.
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Large-Scale Parallel Cognitive Diagnostic Test Assembly Using A Dual-Stage Differential Evolution-Based Approach Xi Cao, Ying Lin, Dong Liu, Henry Been-Lirn Duh, Jun Zhang IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence.2024; 5(6): 3120. CrossRef
Assessing the Potentials of Compurized Adaptive Testing to Enhance Mathematics and Science Student’t Achievement in Secondary Schools Mary Patrick Uko, I.O. Eluwa, Patrick J. Uko European Journal of Theoretical and Applied Sciences.2024; 2(4): 85. CrossRef
Comparison of real data and simulated data analysis of a stopping rule based on the standard error of measurement in computerized adaptive testing for medical examinations in Korea: a psychometric study Dong Gi Seo, Jeongwook Choi, Jinha Kim Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2024; 21: 18. CrossRef
Presidential address: improving item validity and adopting computer-based testing, clinical skills assessments, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality in health professions licensing examinations in Korea Hyunjoo Pai Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2023; 20: 8. CrossRef
Developing Computerized Adaptive Testing for a National Health Professionals Exam: An Attempt from Psychometric Simulations Lingling Xu, Zhehan Jiang, Yuting Han, Haiying Liang, Jinying Ouyang Perspectives on Medical Education.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Optimizing Computer Adaptive Test Performance: A Hybrid Simulation Study to Customize the Administration Rules of the CAT-EyeQ in Macular Edema Patients T. Petra Rausch-Koster, Michiel A. J. Luijten, Frank D. Verbraak, Ger H. M. B. van Rens, Ruth M. A. van Nispen Translational Vision Science & Technology.2022; 11(11): 14. CrossRef
The accuracy and consistency of mastery for each content domain using the Rasch and deterministic inputs, noisy “and” gate diagnostic classification models: a simulation study and a real-world analysis using data from the Korean Medical Licensing Examinat Dong Gi Seo, Jae Kum Kim Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2021; 18: 15. CrossRef
A Seed Usage Issue on Using catR for Simulation and the Solution Zhongmin Cui Applied Psychological Measurement.2020; 44(5): 409. CrossRef
Linear programming method to construct equated item sets for the implementation of periodical computer-based testing for the Korean Medical Licensing Examination Dong Gi Seo, Myeong Gi Kim, Na Hui Kim, Hye Sook Shin, Hyun Jung Kim Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2018; 15: 26. CrossRef
Funding information of the article entitled “Post-hoc simulation study of computerized adaptive testing for the Korean Medical Licensing Examination” Dong Gi Seo, Jeongwook Choi Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2018; 15: 27. CrossRef
Updates from 2018: Being indexed in Embase, becoming an affiliated journal of the World Federation for Medical Education, implementing an optional open data policy, adopting principles of transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing, and appreci Sun Huh Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2018; 15: 36. CrossRef