Readers' Attention of Shorter Versus Longer Abstracts of Systematic Reviews

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

1941 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-08-01

Study Completion Date

2024-09-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The present randomized controlled trial (RCT) was designed to investigate the perceptions of researchers on systematic review (SR) abstracts. The primary objective will be to compare readers' attention of shorter versus longer abstracts. The secondary objective will be to assess the perception of an abstract based on four indicators of a well-written abstract: (a) Informativeness, (b) Accuracy, (c) Attractiveness, and (d) Conciseness.

The study will involve researchers from all over the world who recently published an SR, regardless of their research field. To identify eligible authors, a search of MEDLINE (via PubMed) was conducted on May 5, 2024, for systematic reviews published between January 1, 2024, and March 26, 2024. A total of at least 6200 SRs will be selected from PubMed and assessed for eligibility. The corresponding author information will be extracted from all included SRs and randomized in a 1:1 ratio.

Related Clinical Trials

Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.

Impact of Adding a Limitation Section in Abstract of Systematic Review

NCT01848782

Systematic Review

COMPLETED NA

A Short CONSORT Checklist for Peer Reviewers to Improve the Reporting of Randomised Controlled Trials Published

NCT05820971

Adequate Reporting in Randomized Controlled Trials

COMPLETED NA

Research Abstract Usefulness in Clinical Decision-making

NCT01255488

Clinical Decision-making

UNKNOWN NA

The Effect of Different Financial Competing Interest Statements on Readers' Perceptions of Clinical Educational Articles

NCT02548312

Healthy

COMPLETED NA

Abstract' Content and GPs' Confidence in the Conclusion

NCT01679873

The Study Will Focus on no Specific Conditions

COMPLETED NA

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This study will attempt to emulate the reading process observed in PubMed. When searching PubMed, researchers are initially presented with an overview of the references identified. After clicking on the title, the corresponding abstract appears. For full-text access, researchers must actively follow a separate link to the journal page.

In this RCT, participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to two groups (those receiving a long abstract vs. those receiving a short abstract). Both groups receive the same cover letter by e-mail explaining the purpose of the study, the use of the data, measures to ensure anonymity of participation, and a link for participation.

The link will direct participants to SoSci Survey, an online survey tool. Those in the group receiving the long abstract will see an abstract with a length of 771 words (PMID: 37955353). Those in the group receiving the short abstract will see an abstract with a length of 277 words (PMID: 37942649). Both abstracts are structured and pertain to the same review entitled "Percutaneous nephrolithotomy vs. retrograde intrarenal surgery for renal stones". This review was published once in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and once in the journal BJU International.

The design of the abstract presented is similar to that of PubMed, but no title or authors will be indicated. After reading the abstract, participants must actively click the "Continue" button to proceed with the survey.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Researchers Attention

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

This will be a two-arm, single-blinded, superiority, parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 1:1 allocation of intervention and control groups.

Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

The participants will be blinded to the intervention. In the cover letter, participants will be informed that the study aims to examine the characteristics of an abstract. However, they will not be informed that the primary focus of this study is the influence of the abstract´s length. Furthermore, the participants will be not aware of the number of different abstracts that were randomly allocated.

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Long Abstract

Abstract length: 771 words

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Long Abstract

Intervention Type OTHER

The intervention and control group will be provided with a structured abstract of the review by Soderberg et al., entitled "Percutaneous nephrolithotomy vs. retrograde intrarenal surgery for renal stones". This review was published once in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and once in the journal BJU International. The length of the abstract differs significantly depending on the journal.

The participants assigned to this study arm will be presented with the longer version published in the Cochrane Database, comprising 771 words (PMID: 37955353).

Short Abstract

Abstract length: 277 words

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Short Abstract

Intervention Type OTHER

The participants assigned to this study arm will be presented with the shorter version published in BJU International, comprising 277 words (PMID: 37942649).

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Long Abstract

The intervention and control group will be provided with a structured abstract of the review by Soderberg et al., entitled "Percutaneous nephrolithotomy vs. retrograde intrarenal surgery for renal stones". This review was published once in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and once in the journal BJU International. The length of the abstract differs significantly depending on the journal.

The participants assigned to this study arm will be presented with the longer version published in the Cochrane Database, comprising 771 words (PMID: 37955353).

Intervention Type OTHER

Short Abstract

The participants assigned to this study arm will be presented with the shorter version published in BJU International, comprising 277 words (PMID: 37942649).

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Systematic reviews of all types

Exclusion Criteria

For identifying the systematic reviews from which the corresponding authors will be contacted we will use the following eligibility criteria.

* No English abstract
* Other types of evidence syntheses (e.g. scoping reviews, methodological papers)
* Protocols
* Editorials
* Others: e.g. Corrections, retractions, erratums, or summaries of SRs
* No email address available

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes