I agree that this might just be a misunderstanding. I just talked with of
the Cochrane Steering Committee members and I was told that nothing like
this has happened and, even if it came it up, it would be a highly debated
subject. Unfortunately the Cochrane search module is not that great and only
picks up the last date the review was updated in the Cochrane Library. Since
RevMan 5 came out a couple of years ago, all reviews should have been
updated to the new version and republished in the Cochrane library.
Therefore if a review was not updated since let's say 2000 but was converted
from the previous version to the RevMan 5 version and republished by the
Cochrane group then it gets a new date in the Cochrane Library. I have
noticed this quite frequently. Your best option is to use Medline rather
than the Wiley search engine to find the older the review.
Ahmed
-----Original Message-----
From: Evidence based health (EBH)
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bastian, Hilda
(NIH/NLM/NCBI) [C]
Sent: August 11, 2011 1:50 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Cochrane Reviews published prior to 2005 have been pulled from
the Cochrane database
Hi - given the time zones, this might go on for a while before Cochrane in
England can chime in. But I think you'll find this is a misunderstanding,
Helena. It is difficult to identify them in the Cochrane Library because
time-limited search results don't return them once they've been edited (even
if they have not been updated). That there are no search results returned
before 2005 is because everything got edited - not because it is gone.
Hence, if you search PubMed you will see them before 2005 and find them
through linkout to the Cochrane Library: but a date-limited search within
the Cochrane Library won't find them. Hope that helps limits confusion.
Some reviews are withdrawn, but versions are archived within the Cochrane
Library. They are not withdrawn because of an arbitrary cut-off date.
Hilda
From: Ahmed Abou-Setta <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Reply-To: Ahmed Abou-Setta
<[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:41:12 -0400
To:
"[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]
AC.UK>"
<[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]
AC.UK>>
Subject: Re: Cochrane Reviews published prior to 2005 have been pulled from
the Cochrane database
Hi Helena,
Are you sure about this. I just searched Medline for Cochrane citations that
were published before 2005 and not updated since then and I was still able
to find them in the Cochrane Library. Are they going to mark them as
Withdrawn in future editions of the library? or what? Could you send an
example for us to check out? Also is your source Cochrane itself or Wiley? I
ask since I have not heard anything about this from any of the review groups
and fields I work with.
Thanks in advance.
Ahmed
From: Evidence based health (EBH)
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Vonville, Helena
M
Sent: August 11, 2011 1:11 PM
To:
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]
C.UK>
Subject: Cochrane Reviews published prior to 2005 have been pulled from the
Cochrane database
I just learned today that Cochrane Reviews published before 2005 were
removed from the Cochrane database.
This is horrible! My students and faculty use the earlier reviews to
determine what was known and what needs to be updated. They also review the
discussion of old SRs to see what directions the authors advised future
researchers to take. Lastly, they used the old SRs to set a date range for
doing their own SR.
For those of you considering performing a systematic review, just be
forewarned. You won't be able to see the earlier work as Cochrane
apparently considered it "out of date".
Can you imagine what would happen to all research if everything published
prior to 2005 was considered too old to be useful? I'm absolutely
dumbfounded that Cochrane would take such a step. If they had concerns
about the information, at least set the older reviews aside in a separate
collection that could still be accessed.
Helena
Helena M. VonVille, MLS, MPH
Library Director
University of Texas School of Public Health Library
Houston, TX 77030
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
713.500.9131 (office)
713.500.9125 (fax)
|