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Wang J, Chehrehasa F, Moody H, Beecher K. Does neuroscience research change behaviour? A scoping review and case study in obesity neuroscience. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 159:105598. [PMID: 38401576 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
The language employed by researchers to define and discuss diseases can itself be a determinant of health. Despite this, the framing of diseases in medical research literature is largely unexplored. This scoping review examines a prevalent medical issue with social determinants influenced by the framing of its pathogenesis: obesity. Specifically, we compare the currently dominant framing of obesity as an addiction to food with the emerging frame of obesity developing from neuroinflammation. We triangulate both corpus linguistic and bibliometric analysis of the top 200 most engaging neuroscience journal articles discussing obesity that were published open access in the past 10 years. The constructed Neurobesity Corpus is available for public use. The scoping review analysis confirmed that neuroinflammation is an emerging way for obesity to be framed in medical research. Importantly, the articles analysed that discussed neuroinflammation were less likely to use crisis terminology, such as referring to an obesity "epidemic". We highlight a potential relationship between the adoption of addiction frames and the use of stigmatising language in medical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Wang
- School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia.
| | - Fatemeh Chehrehasa
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
| | - Hayley Moody
- Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
| | - Kate Beecher
- UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Building 71/918 Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Campus, Herston, QLD 4029, Australia
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2
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Fuoco RE, Kwiatkowski CF, Birnbaum LS, Blum A. Effective communications strategies to increase the impact of environmental health research. Environ Health 2023; 22:47. [PMID: 37460989 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-023-00997-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are the subject of a growing body of research with the potential to positively impact public and ecological health. However, to effect positive change, findings must be communicated beyond the scientific community. OBJECTIVE We sought to (a) evaluate the relationships between communications strategy, media attention, and scholarly citations of PFAS research and (b) offer guidance for researchers and communications professionals who would like to publicize future work and increase its impact. METHODS We analyzed 273 peer-reviewed epidemiological studies on PFAS human health impacts with publication years 2018-2020, as collected by a pre-existing database. We investigated whether a press release was issued, open-access status, abstract and press release readability, timing of publication and press release distribution, journal impact factor, study type and sample size, statistical significance of finding(s), number of scholarly citations, and the Altmetric Attention Score (a measure of media attention). DISCUSSION Of papers reporting a statistically significant association with health harm, those with a press release received 20 times more media attention (as assessed by Altmetric scores) than those that did not. However, only 6.2% of all papers and 7.8% of significant papers issued one. Among papers with a press release, media attention was positively correlated with better abstract and press release readability and speed in issuing the press release. Scholarly citations were positively correlated with media attention, presence of a press release, and open-access status. CONCLUSION Most papers with significant findings on PFAS are published without a press release and receive little or no media attention. This reduces the likelihood that important research is reaching the public and decisionmakers who can translate science into action. Issuing a press release and receiving media attention also appear to increase scholarly citations. We provide recommendations for authors to increase the reach and impact of future papers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carol F Kwiatkowski
- Green Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA
| | - Linda S Birnbaum
- Scientist Emeritus, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Arlene Blum
- Green Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
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3
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Rubagumya F, Galica J, Rugengamanzi E, Niyibizi BA, Aggarwal A, Sullivan R, Booth CM. Media coverage of cancer therapeutics: A review of literature. J Cancer Policy 2023; 36:100418. [PMID: 36871667 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpo.2023.100418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Information and stories about cancer treatment are increasingly available to patients and the general public through lay media, websites, blogs and social media. While these resources may be helpful to supplement information provided during physician-patient discussions, there is growing concern about the extent to which media reports accurately reflect advances in cancer care. This review aimed to understand the landscape of published research which has described media coverage of cancer treatments. METHODS This literature review included peer-reviewed primary research articles that reported how cancer treatments are portrayed in the lay media. A structured literature search of Medline, EMBASE and Google Scholar was performed. Potentially eligible articles were reviewed by three authors for inclusion. Three reviewers, each independently reviewed eligible studies; discrepancies were resolved by consensus. RESULTS Fourteen studies were included. The content of the eligible studies reflected two thematic categories: articles that reviewed specific drugs/cancer treatment (n = 7) and articles that described media coverage of cancer treatment in general terms (n = 7). Key findings include the media's frequent and unfounded use of superlatives and hype for new cancer treatments. Parallel to this, media reports over-emphasize potential treatment benefits and do not present a balanced view of risks of side effects, cost, and death. At a broad level, there is emerging evidence that media reporting of cancer treatments may directly impact patient care and policy-making. CONCLUSIONS This review identifies problems in current media reports of new cancer advances - especially with undue use of superlatives and hype. Given the frequency with which patients access this information and the potential for it to influence policy, there is a need for additional research in this space in addition to educational interventions with health journalists. The oncology community - scientists and clinicians - must ensure that we are not contributing to these problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fidel Rubagumya
- Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen's University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Canada; School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda; Department of Oncology, Rwanda Military Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda; Rwanda Cancer Relief, Kigali, Rwanda; Departments of Oncology, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada; Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
| | - Jacqueline Galica
- Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen's University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Canada; School of Nursing, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
| | | | | | - Ajay Aggarwal
- Institute of Cancer Policy, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Sullivan
- Institute of Cancer Policy, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher M Booth
- Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen's University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Canada; Departments of Oncology, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada; Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.
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Pal A, Rees TJ. Introducing the EMPIRE Index: A novel, value-based metric framework to measure the impact of medical publications. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265381. [PMID: 35377894 PMCID: PMC8979442 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Article-level measures of publication impact (alternative metrics or altmetrics) can help authors and other stakeholders assess engagement with their research and the success of their communication efforts. The wide variety of altmetrics can make interpretation and comparative assessment difficult; available summary tools are either narrowly focused or do not reflect the differing values of metrics from a stakeholder perspective. We created the EMPIRE (EMpirical Publication Impact and Reach Evaluation) Index, a value-based, multi-component metric framework for medical publications. Metric weighting and grouping were informed by a statistical analysis of 2891 Phase III clinical trial publications and by a panel of stakeholders who provided value assessments. The EMPIRE Index comprises three component scores (social, scholarly, and societal impact), each incorporating related altmetrics indicating a different aspect of engagement with the publication. These are averaged to provide a total impact score and benchmarked so that a score of 100 equals the mean scores of Phase III clinical trial publications in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in 2016. Predictor metrics are defined to estimate likely long-term impact. The social impact component correlated strongly with the Altmetric Attention Score and the scholarly impact component correlated modestly with CiteScore, with the societal impact component providing unique insights. Analysis of fresh metrics collected 1 year after the initial dataset, including an independent sample, showed that scholarly and societal impact scores continued to increase, whereas social impact scores did not. Analysis of NEJM ‘notable articles’ showed that observational studies had the highest total impact and component scores, except for societal impact, for which surgical studies had the highest score. The EMPIRE Index provides a richer assessment of publication value than standalone traditional and alternative metrics and may enable medical researchers to assess the impact of publications easily and to understand what characterizes impactful research.
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Schultz T. All the research that’s fit to print: Open access and the news media. QUANTITATIVE SCIENCE STUDIES 2021. [DOI: 10.1162/qss_a_00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The goal of the open access (OA) movement is to help everyone access scholarly research, not just those who can afford to. However, most studies looking at whether OA has met this goal have focused on whether other scholars are making use of OA research. Few have considered how the broader public, including the news media, uses OA research. I sought to answer whether the news media mentions OA articles more or less than paywalled articles by looking at articles published from 2010 through 2018 in journals across all four quartiles of the Journal Impact Factor using data obtained through Altmetric.com and Web of Science. Gold, green and hybrid OA articles all had a positive correlation with the number of news mentions received. News mentions for OA articles did see a dip in 2018, although they remained higher than those for paywalled articles.
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Predictors of societal and professional impact of orthodontic research. A multivariate, scientometric approach. Scientometrics 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11192-021-04163-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Araujo AC, Vanin AA, Nascimento DP, Gonzalez GZ, Costa LOP. What are the variables associated with Altmetric scores? Syst Rev 2021; 10:193. [PMID: 34187573 PMCID: PMC8241467 DOI: 10.1186/s13643-021-01735-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social media has been used to disseminate the contents of scientific articles. To measure the impact of this, a new tool called Altmetric was created. Altmetric aims to quantify the impact of each article through online media. This systematic review aims to describe the associations between the publishing journal and published article variables and Altmetric scores. METHODS Searches on MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and Cochrane Library were conducted. We extracted data related to both the publishing article and the publishing journal associated with Altmetric scores. The methodological quality of included articles was analyzed by the Appraisal Tool for Cross-sectional Studies. RESULTS A total of 19 articles were considered eligible. These articles summarized a total of 573,842 studies. Citation counts, journal impact factor, access counts, papers published as open access, and press releases generated by the publishing journal were associated with Altmetric scores. The magnitude of these associations ranged from weak to strong. CONCLUSION Citation counts and journal impact factor are the most common variables associated with Altmetric scores. Other variables such as access counts, papers published in open access journals, and the use of press releases are also likely to be associated with online media attention. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION This review does not contain health-related outcomes. Therefore, it is not eligible for registration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Costa Araujo
- Masters and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo, Rua Melo Peixoto, 1407 - Tatuapé, São Paulo, SP, 03070-000, Brazil.
| | - Adriane Aver Vanin
- Masters and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo, Rua Melo Peixoto, 1407 - Tatuapé, São Paulo, SP, 03070-000, Brazil
| | - Dafne Port Nascimento
- Masters and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo, Rua Melo Peixoto, 1407 - Tatuapé, São Paulo, SP, 03070-000, Brazil
| | - Gabrielle Zoldan Gonzalez
- Masters and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo, Rua Melo Peixoto, 1407 - Tatuapé, São Paulo, SP, 03070-000, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Oliveira Pena Costa
- Masters and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo, Rua Melo Peixoto, 1407 - Tatuapé, São Paulo, SP, 03070-000, Brazil
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Choi AR, Feller ER. Misrepresentation of mild traumatic brain injury research in press releases. PM R 2021; 14:769-778. [PMID: 34156765 DOI: 10.1002/pmrj.12656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Press releases from academic medical centers often form the basis for health and science news stories. Press release coverage of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) research has not been formally appraised in the literature. OBJECTIVE To perform a systematic content analysis of mTBI-based press releases. DESIGN Retrospective database study. SETTING EurekAlert! (eurekalert.org), the main distribution engine for scientific press releases. PARTICIPANTS Press releases indexed between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2019 containing a minimum of 150 words. INTERVENTIONS Preestablished, investigator-generated criteria delineating aspects of misinformation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Press releases were evaluated for manifestations of "spin," including misleading title, misleading reporting, misleading claims, and inappropriate extrapolation. RESULTS Our database search yielded 125 entries within the specified time period. Of these, 66 met inclusion criteria. Fifty-five of 66 (83%) press releases exhibited at least one manifestation of spin. We identified 38 (58%) with misleading titles, 49 (74%) with misleading reporting, 44 (67%) with misleading claims, and 38 (58%) with inappropriate extrapolation. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis revealed a high degree of spin in recent press releases dedicated to mTBI research. The reports often overstated the strengths and practical impact of the study, publicize substandard research without clinical relevance, while downplaying or failing to report limitations and caveats. Misrepresentation in press releases can affect real-life medical decisions and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel R Choi
- Program in Liberal Medical Education, Warren Alpert Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Edward R Feller
- Department of Community Health, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Manuscript characteristics associated with the altmetrics score and social media presence: an analysis of seven spine journals. Spine J 2021; 21:548-554. [PMID: 33189908 DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2020.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND CONTEXT Impact factor, citation rate, and other traditional measures of scholarly impact do not account for the role that social media has in the dissemination of research. The Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) quantifies the active online presence of individual articles on various platforms (eg, Twitter, Facebook). PURPOSE We sought to better understand the factors associated with greater online attention and AAS in seven spine journals. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Cross-sectional study. PATIENT SAMPLE No patients were included in this study. We analyzed 380 articles in seven major spine journals. OUTCOME MEASURES Extracted manuscript characteristics included AAS; number of Twitter, Facebook, and news outlet mentions; number of citations, references, academic institutions, and authors; and sample size, geographic region, subject of study, and level of evidence. METHODS All original scientific manuscripts published in the official January, February, and March 2017 issues of Spine, The Spine Journal, Spine Deformity, Journal of Neurosurgery-Spine, Clinical Spine Surgery, Global Spine Journal, and European Spine Journal were identified. The correlation of AAS and number of citations was determined by Spearman's Rho (ρ) correlation coefficient. Manuscript factors associated with AAS were determined by a multivariable linear regression analysis. RESULTS A total of 380 manuscripts were included in the analysis. The average AAS across all seven journals was 4.9 (SD: 19.4; Range: 0-356), with the highest average AAS reported for The Spine Journal at 8.0 (SD: 13; Range: 0-60). There was a weak, positive correlation between AAS and number of citations (ρ = .32; p < .05); this relationship was individually present for four out of the seven included journals. In addition, number of references was associated with higher average manuscript AAS (β: 0.16 [95% CI: 0.002-0.32]; p < .05). No manuscript characteristics were associated with lower AAS. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis of seven spine journals revealed a weak, positive correlation between AAS and number of citations. Number of references was associated with higher AAS. We believe these findings may be useful to authors seeking ways to maximize the impact of their research.
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Amberg A, Saunders DN. Cancer in the news: Bias and quality in media reporting of cancer research. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242133. [PMID: 33166352 PMCID: PMC7652252 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer research in the news is often associated with sensationalised and inaccurate reporting, which may give rise to false hopes and expectations. The role of study selection for cancer-related news stories is an important but less commonly acknowledged issue, as the outcomes of primary research are generally less reliable than those of meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Few studies have investigated the quality of research that makes the news and no previous analyses of the proportions of primary and secondary research in the news have been found in the literature. We analysed distribution of study types, research sources, reporting quality, gender bias, and national bias in online news reports by four major news outlets in USA, UK and Australia over six-months. We measured significant variation in reporting quality and observed biases in many aspects of cancer research reporting, including the types of study selected for coverage, the spectrum of cancer types, gender of scientists, and geographical source of research represented. We discuss the implications of these findings for guiding accurate, contextual reporting of cancer research, which is critical in helping the public understand complex science, appreciate the outcomes of publicly-funded research, maintain trust, and assist informed decision-making. The striking gender bias observed may compromise high-quality coverage of research by limiting diversity of opinion, reinforces stereotypes and skews public visibility and recognition towards male scientists. Our findings provide useful guidelines for scientists and journalists alike to consider in providing the most informative and accurate reporting of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Amberg
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Darren N. Saunders
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- * E-mail:
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11
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Meng Z, Xiang Q, Wu X, Hua F, Dong W, Tu YK. The level of evidence, scientific impact and social impact of clinical studies in periodontology: A methodological study. J Clin Periodontol 2020; 47:902-911. [PMID: 32452044 DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.13322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
AIMS To analyse the level of evidence (LOE) of clinical studies in the field of periodontology, and to investigate whether LOE is a predictor of scientific impact and social impact. MATERIALS AND METHODS Clinical studies published in five leading periodontal journals during 2015-2019 were identified. The LOE of included studies were assessed with a modified LOE classification system based on Oxford 2009 LOE, Oxford 2011 LOE and GRADE guidelines. Citation counts were harvested from Web of Science and Scopus. Altmetric Attention Scores (AAS) were obtained from Altmetric Explorer. Multivariable generalized estimation equation (GEE) analyses were used to investigate association between LOE and citation count, as well as between LOE and AAS. RESULTS Among 768 studies included, the proportion of level-1, level-2, level-3 and level-4 was 10.4%, 44.8%, 13.7% and 31.1%, respectively. In the multivariable GEE analyses, high LOE was a significant predictor of higher average citation count (p = .010) and higher AAS (p < .001). CONCLUSION The LOE of clinical studies in the periodontal field is relatively high in general, although it varies significantly in different journals. Studies with high LOE tend to have greater scientific impact and social impact than low LOE studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyan Meng
- Hubei-MOST KLOS & KLOBM, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Periodontology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qianfeng Xiang
- Hubei-MOST KLOS & KLOBM, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Periodontology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xinyu Wu
- Hubei-MOST KLOS & KLOBM, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Oral Implantology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Fang Hua
- Centre for Evidence-Based Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Division of Dentistry, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Weili Dong
- Hubei-MOST KLOS & KLOBM, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Periodontology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu-Kang Tu
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Top 100 Publications as Measured by Altmetrics in the Field of Central Nervous System Inflammatory Demyelinating Disease. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 2019:3748091. [PMID: 31871939 PMCID: PMC6913335 DOI: 10.1155/2019/3748091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Background Altmetrics analyze the visibility of articles in social media and estimate their impact on the general population. We performed an altmetric analysis of articles on central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating disease (CIDD) and investigated its correlation with citation analysis. Methods Articles in the 91 journals comprising the “clinical neurology,” “neuroscience,” and “medicine, general, and internal” Web of Science categories were searched for their relevance to the CIDD topic. The Altmetric Explorer database was used to determine the Altmetric.com Attention Score (AAS) values of the selected articles. The papers with the top 100 AAS values were characterized. Results Articles most frequently mentioned online were primarily published after 2014 and were published in journals with high impact factors. All articles except one were dealt with the issue of multiple sclerosis. Most were original articles, but editorials were also common. Novel treatments and risk factors are the most frequent topics. The AAS was weakly correlated with journal impact factors; however, no link was found between the AAS and the number of citations. Conclusions We present the top 100 most frequently mentioned CIDD articles in online media using an altmetric approach. Altmetrics can rapidly offer alternative information on the impact of research based on a broader audience and can complement traditional metrics.
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Shah Z, Surian D, Dyda A, Coiera E, Mandl KD, Dunn AG. Automatically Appraising the Credibility of Vaccine-Related Web Pages Shared on Social Media: A Twitter Surveillance Study. J Med Internet Res 2019; 21:e14007. [PMID: 31682571 PMCID: PMC6862002 DOI: 10.2196/14007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Revised: 06/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tools used to appraise the credibility of health information are time-consuming to apply and require context-specific expertise, limiting their use for quickly identifying and mitigating the spread of misinformation as it emerges. Objective The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of vaccine-related Twitter posts linked to Web pages of low credibility and measure the potential reach of those posts. Methods Sampling from 143,003 unique vaccine-related Web pages shared on Twitter between January 2017 and March 2018, we used a 7-point checklist adapted from validated tools and guidelines to manually appraise the credibility of 474 Web pages. These were used to train several classifiers (random forests, support vector machines, and recurrent neural networks) using the text from a Web page to predict whether the information satisfies each of the 7 criteria. Estimating the credibility of all other Web pages, we used the follower network to estimate potential exposures relative to a credibility score defined by the 7-point checklist. Results The best-performing classifiers were able to distinguish between low, medium, and high credibility with an accuracy of 78% and labeled low-credibility Web pages with a precision of over 96%. Across the set of unique Web pages, 11.86% (16,961 of 143,003) were estimated as low credibility and they generated 9.34% (1.64 billion of 17.6 billion) of potential exposures. The 100 most popular links to low credibility Web pages were each potentially seen by an estimated 2 million to 80 million Twitter users globally. Conclusions The results indicate that although a small minority of low-credibility Web pages reach a large audience, low-credibility Web pages tend to reach fewer users than other Web pages overall and are more commonly shared within certain subpopulations. An automatic credibility appraisal tool may be useful for finding communities of users at higher risk of exposure to low-credibility vaccine communications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zubair Shah
- Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.,Division of Information and Communication Technology, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Didi Surian
- Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Amalie Dyda
- Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Enrico Coiera
- Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Kenneth D Mandl
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Adam G Dunn
- Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.,Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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Smith ZL, Chiang AL, Bowman D, Wallace MB. Longitudinal relationship between social media activity and article citations in the journal Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Gastrointest Endosc 2019; 90:77-83. [PMID: 30935934 DOI: 10.1016/j.gie.2019.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Social media activity in the area of scientific journal publications has increased significantly over the last decade. Several studies have suggested that journal article citations can be positively impacted by an increase in social media activity. Preliminary data have also suggested that published articles in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology that were discussed on Twitter were independently associated with higher citation rates compared with those that were not. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (GIE) is the most widely cited endoscopy-focused journal in the world. We aimed to assess the association of social media exposure of published articles in GIE and its impact on article citations. METHODS Data regarding journal article publication status, number of citations per article, and social media exposure per article using Altmetric data were collected from the publisher. All original articles published in GIE from 2000 to 2016 were reviewed. Editorials, case reports, and other nonresearch correspondence were excluded. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess for independent Altmetric predictors of higher citation rates over time. Logistic regression was used to assess the impact of an article mention on various social media platforms and whether it was cited during the study period. RESULTS A total of 2361 original research articles were evaluated; 2050 articles (86.8%) were cited at least once during the follow-up period. Mean number of citations per article was 16.8 ± 23. The average Altmetric Attention score was 2.0 ± 13. The most profound independent predictor of article citation was whether an article was tweeted (odds ratio [OR], 14.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 8.93-22.45). Other predictors were Facebook posts (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.51) and number of Mendeley readers (OR, 1.359; 95% CI, 1.28-1.45). On multivariable linear regression, number of tweeters (β = 2.3, P = .022), F1000 reviews (β = 5.87, P < .001), policy documents (β = 7.6, P < .001), and number of Mendeley readers (β = 14.21, P < .001) were significantly associated with higher citation rates of published articles. CONCLUSIONS For original articles published in GIE, there was a strong association between social media exposure on Twitter and rates of journal article citations. To a lesser degree, Facebook posts and Mendeley readers also were associated with a higher rate of article citations. This could represent both cause and effect and may be representative of higher quality articles being more commonly mentioned on social media by third-party users. A randomized controlled study evaluating different degrees of social media exposure on individual articles could be considered to further assess for causality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary L Smith
- Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, University Hospitals & Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Austin L Chiang
- Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Deborah Bowman
- Senior Managing Editor of Clinical Publications, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Downers Grove, Illinois, USA
| | - Michael B Wallace
- Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
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Hassona Y, Qutachi T, Dardas L, Alrashdan MS, Sawair F. The online attention to oral cancer research: An Altmetric analysis. Oral Dis 2019; 25:1502-1510. [DOI: 10.1111/odi.13111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yazan Hassona
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine and Periodontics, School of Dentistry The University of Jordan Amman Jordan
| | - Tala Qutachi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine and Periodontics, School of Dentistry The University of Jordan Amman Jordan
| | - Latefa Dardas
- School of Nursing The University of Jordan Amman Jordan
| | - Mohammad S. Alrashdan
- Department of Oral Medicine and Oral Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry Jordan University of Science and Technology Irbid UK
| | - Faleh Sawair
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine and Periodontics, School of Dentistry The University of Jordan Amman Jordan
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16
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Maggio LA, Ratcliff CL, Krakow M, Moorhead LL, Enkhbayar A, Alperin JP. Making headlines: an analysis of US government-funded cancer research mentioned in online media. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e025783. [PMID: 30782941 PMCID: PMC6368156 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterise how online media coverage of journal articles on cancer funded by the US government varies by cancer type and stage of the cancer control continuum and to compare the disease prevalence rates with the amount of funded research published for each cancer type and with the amount of media attention each receives. DESIGN A cross-sectional study. SETTING The United States. PARTICIPANTS The subject of analysis was 11 436 journal articles on cancer funded by the US government published in 2016. These articles were identified via PubMed and characterised as receiving online media attention based on data provided by Altmetric. RESULTS 16.8% (n=1925) of articles published on US government-funded research were covered in the media. Published journal articles addressed all common cancers. Frequency of journal articles differed substantially across the common cancers, with breast cancer (n=1284), lung cancer (n=630) and prostate cancer (n=586) being the subject of the most journal articles. Roughly one-fifth to one-fourth of journal articles within each cancer category received online media attention. Media mentions were disproportionate to actual burden of each cancer type (ie, incidence and mortality), with breast cancer articles receiving the most media mentions. Scientific articles also covered the stages of the cancer continuum to varying degrees. Across the 13 most common cancer types, 4.4% (n=206) of articles focused on prevention and control, 11.7% (n=550) on diagnosis and 10.7% (n=502) on therapy. CONCLUSIONS Findings revealed a mismatch between prevalent cancers and cancers highlighted in online media. Further, journal articles on cancer control and prevention received less media attention than other cancer continuum stages. Media mentions were not proportional to actual public cancer burden nor volume of scientific publications in each cancer category. Results highlight a need for continued research on the role of media, especially online media, in research dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A Maggio
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | - Asura Enkhbayar
- Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Juan Pablo Alperin
- Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Dal-Ré R. La información engañosa generada en las revistas de medicina que llega al ciudadano por vía electrónica. Med Clin (Barc) 2018; 151:359-361. [DOI: 10.1016/j.medcli.2018.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Boughton SL, Kowalczuk MK, Meerpohl JJ, Wager E, Moylan EC. Research Integrity and Peer Review-past highlights and future directions. Res Integr Peer Rev 2018; 3:3. [PMID: 29556422 PMCID: PMC5840713 DOI: 10.1186/s41073-018-0047-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In May 2016, we launched Research Integrity and Peer Review, an international, open access journal with fully open peer review (reviewers are identified on their reports and named reports are published alongside the article) to provide a home for research on research and publication ethics, research reporting, and research on peer review. As the journal enters its third year, we reflect on recent events and highlights for the journal and explore how the journal is faring in terms of gender and diversity in peer review. We also share the particular interests of our Editors-in-Chief regarding models of peer review, reporting quality, common research integrity issues that arise during the publishing process, and how people interact with the published literature. We continue to encourage further research into peer review, research and publication ethics and research reporting, as we believe that all new initiatives should be evidence-based. We also remain open to constructive discussions of the developments in the field that offer new solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Joerg J Meerpohl
- 2Institute for Evidence in Medicine (for Cochrane Germany Foundation), Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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