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Some reviews are withdrawn, but versions are archived within the Cochrane Library. They are not withdrawn because of an arbitrary cut-off date.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]>" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
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 Are they going to mark them as Withdrawn in future editions of the library?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]>
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
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713.500.9131 (office)
713.500.9125 (fax)
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