scholarly journals Do authors of research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research comply with its open access mandate?: A meta-epidemiologic study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256577
Author(s):  
Michael A. Scaffidi ◽  
Karam Elsolh ◽  
Juana Li ◽  
Yash Verma ◽  
Rishi Bansal ◽  
...  

Background Since 2008, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has mandated that studies it funds either in whole or in part are required to publish their results as open access (OA) within 12 months of publication using either online repositories and/or OA journals. Yet, there is evidence that authors are poorly compliant with this mandate. Specifically, there has been an apparent decrease in OA publication after 2015, which coincides with a change in the OA policy during the same year. One particular policy change that may have contributed to this decline was lifting the requirement that authors deposit their article in an OA repository immediately upon publication. We investigated the proportion of OA compliance of CIHR-funded studies in the period before and after the policy change of 2015 with manual confirmation of both CIHR funding and OA status. Methods and findings We identified CIHR-funded studies published between the years 2014 to 2017 using a comprehensive search in the Web of Science (WoS). We took a stratified random sample from all four years (i.e. 2014 to 2017), with 250 studies from each year. Two authors independently reviewed the final full-text publications retrieved from the journal web page to determine to confirm CIHR funding, as indicated in the acknowledgements or elsewhere in the paper. For each study, we also collected bibliometric data that included citation count and Altmetric attention score Statistical analyses were conducted using two-tailed Fisher’s exact test with relative risk (RR). Among the 851 receiving CIHR funding published from 2014 to 2017, the percentage of CIHR-funded studies published as OA significantly decreased from 79.6% in 2014 to 70.3% in 2017 (RR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.79–0.99, P = 0.028). When considering all four years, there was no significant difference in the percentage of CIHR-funded studies published as OA in both 2014 and 2015 compared to both 2016 and 2017 (RR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.90–1.05, P = 0.493). Additionally, OA publications had significantly higher citation count (both in year of publication and in total) and higher attention scores (P<0.05). Conclusions Overall, we found that there was a significant decrease in the proportion of CIHR funded studies published as OA from 2014 compared to 2017, though this difference did not persist when comparing both 2014–2015 to 2016–2017. The primary limitation was the reliance of self-reported data from authors on CIHR funding status. We posit that this decrease may be attributable to CIHR’s OA policy change in 2015. Further exploration is warranted to both validate these studies using a larger dataset and, if valid, investigate the effects of potential interventions to improve the OA compliance, such as use of a CIHR publication database, and reinstatement of a policy for authors to immediately submit their findings to OA repositories upon publication.

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
F Fernandes ◽  
P Meireles ◽  
M Rocha ◽  
J Rojas ◽  
H Barros

Abstract Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with tenofovir/emtricitabine has shown to be effective in preventing HIV among high-risk HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM). Portugal made PrEP available in February 2018, but few MSM reported PrEP use before. We aimed to compare the sociodemographic characteristics of MSM using PrEP and those knowing PrEP but not using and to compare MSM who started PrEP before and after its implementation in Portugal. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis, using Lisbon MSM Cohort data - an open prospective cohort of HIV-negative MSM testing at a community-based center in Lisbon - regarding the first time PrEP use was reported. Data from March 2015 to April 2019 was used. In this period 2142 MSM participated in the cohort and reported to know PrEP of whom 160 (7.5%) reported to use it. 83 PrEP-users answered a subset of questions about PrEP. Comparisons were performed using t-test, Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. Results Comparing with non-users, PrEP users were significantly older (Mean: 35.7, SD 9.4 vs. 30.8, SD 9.2, p &lt; 0.001), had more frequently a Master or PhD degree (37.2% vs. 27.4%, p = 0.017), and were more frequently born in a foreign country (42.2% vs. 31.8%, p &lt; 0.001). Groups were similar in terms sexual orientation. Among the 83 PrEP users answering more questions about PrEP, 28 (33.7%) reported to have ordered their PrEP medication online, 24 (28.9%) obtained it in a medical appointment in Portugal, 15 (18.1%) in a foreign country, 4 in a clinical trial or demonstration project. Of all PrEP users, 30 (19.4%) started PrEP only after February 2018, and no sociodemographic differences were found comparing with those who started before. Conclusions MSM reporting PrEP use were more educated, older and more frequently born in a foreign country than non-PrEP users. MSM starting PrEP before and after February 2018 were similar, which may indicate that making PrEP available did not yet reach a more diverse group of MSM. Key messages MSM reporting PrEP use were more educated, older and more frequently born in a foreign country than non-PrEP users. MSM starting PrEP before and after February 2018 were similar, which may indicate that making PrEP available did not yet reach a more diverse group of MSM.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1068-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Line J Borup ◽  
Nanna Ø Weye ◽  
Vibeke Jensen ◽  
Kirsten Fonager

Abstract Background The social security policy for disability pension (DP) was changed in Denmark in 2013 and eligibility requirements were tightened. We describe and compare the use of healthcare among individuals with incident DP before and after the policy change. Methods This was a follow-up study based on data from nationwide databases. The study included individuals with incident DP aged 18–64 years and living in The North Denmark Region. We included individuals with incident DP before (2010–12, n = 6286) and after (2014–15, n = 1042) the 2013 policy change. Poisson regression was used to examine group differences in (i) contact to healthcare and (ii) hospitalization. For this purpose, we used incidence rate ratios stratified on type of contact before being awarded DP. Results We found a change of diagnoses for healthcare use towards higher proportions of cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological and cancer diseases and lower proportion with musculoskeletal disorder in the populations being granted DP after policy changes. For individuals with psychiatric contact before being granted DP, we found no significant differences between periods in psychiatric healthcare after DP was awarded. For individuals with somatic contact before being granted DP, we found an increased risk of contact to somatic healthcare and hospitalization after DP requirements were tightened. Conclusion The study demonstrated that individuals who were granted DP after the eligibility requirements had been tightened suffered from more medical conditions and had an ongoing need for healthcare. In contrast, no significant difference in risk of psychiatric contact or hospitalization after DP was demonstrated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (Supplement_6) ◽  
pp. vi113-vi113
Author(s):  
Yoshie Umemura ◽  
Benjamin Weill ◽  
Baber Khan ◽  
Justin Buthorn ◽  
Andrew Ridder ◽  
...  

Abstract OBJECTIVE To investigate patients’ and physicians’ perceptions of lumbar puncture (LP) and tolerability. METHODS Adult patients were surveyed prior to and after the procedure regarding patient perceptions and actual experience of LP. Presence of symptoms pre- and post-LP were compared by McNemar test; symptom severity score was rated 0–10, compared by Wilcoxon test; and relative risks were compared by Fisher’s exact test. In addition to patient surveys, email requests to complete an eight-question survey regarding LP tolerability was sent to faculty physicians at two academic centers. RESULTS A total of 154 patients and 302 physicians completed the surveys during 1/2017-5/2019. Ninety-one patients (59%) reported anxiety prior to-LP compared to 52 (34%) who reported anxiety after the LP (p< 0.0001). Whereas 74% of patients predicted LP to be painful prior to LP, only 48% reported that LP was painful after the procedure (p< 0.0001). On an 11-point scale, patients anticipated significantly greater pain from LP than they reported after the procedure (mean 3.4 and 2.0 respectively, p< 0.0001). Patients who anticipated pain were more likely to experience pain (RR=1.65, 95% CI 1.07–2.73). There was no significant difference in symptoms such as headache, nausea, generalized pain, vision or gait disturbance before and after the procedure. After the LP, 117 patients (77%) answered they would repeat LP if recommended by their doctors. Out of 302 physicians (40% women), the majority (81%) felt that the LP induces anxiety or worry in patients, and 50% answered that the LP is painful for patients in general. CONCLUSION We observed that although anticipation of pain contributed to pre-procedure anxiety, LP was generally well-tolerated. The majority of patients experienced minimal pain. The results of this study suggest that measures to reduce pre-procedure anxiety may improve the tolerability of LP, an important diagnostic tool in neuro-oncology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neda Eslami ◽  
Farid Sharifi ◽  
Athar Nasseri ◽  
Arezoo Jahanbin

Background: There is great controversy regarding the effect of MBT and Damon bracket systems on dental arch dimensions and incisor position. Objectives: We aimed to study the effects of two different brackets (MBT and Damon) on dental arch dimensions and incisors position after orthodontic treatment. Methods: In this retrospective study, the records of 20 patients who underwent orthodontic treatment with MBT or Damon bracket systems were studied. All patients had class I skeletal and dental malocclusion and were treated without extraction. The patients were treated either with Damon or MBT bracket systems (n = 10). Lateral cephalograms were traced using the Dolphin software to determine the position of incisors. In addition, transverse dimensions of dental arches were measured on occlusal photographs. Fishers’ exact test, independent-test, Man-Whitney, paired t-test, and Wilcoxon were used for statistical analysis. P < 0.05 was set as significant. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding age, sex, and initial values of the variables studied. U1-Apog (mm), upper inter-canine, lower inter-second premolar distance showed a significant difference before and after treatment in the Damon system. However, no significant difference was observed between initial and post-treatment values in the MBT group. L1-Apog (°), IMPA (°), maxillary inter-first and second premolars, inter-canine, and mandibular inter-canine distance was higher in the Damon system after treatment compared to MBT. Changes of the upper and lower transverse dimensions of the dental arches and the incisor positional did not reveal a notable difference in the Damon and MBT systems (P > 0.05). Conclusions: There was no significant difference regarding changes in dental arches and incisor positions between the Damon and MBT systems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (SI3) ◽  
pp. 251-254
Author(s):  
Aresya Najmee ◽  
Ai-Hong Chen ◽  
Saiful Azlan Rosli ◽  
Nursyuhadah Azni

This study aims to compare the accommodation microfluctuation before and after 5 mins of digital reading in the dark with night shift mode. Nineteen subjects were recruited using convenient sampling and a crossover design was used to compare the accommodation microfluctuations two viewing conditions. There was no significant difference in accommodation microfluctuations before and after 5-minute reading with night shift mode and without night shift mode. The insignificant findings in the accommodation microfluctuation comparison seemed to suggest that Night Shift Mode did not display as an advantage in controlling accommodation. Keywords: Digital eye strain, accommodation microfluctuations, digital reading, night shift mode. eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bsby e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5iSI3.2568


Author(s):  
SALEHA SUNGKAR ◽  
FANNY P. IRMAWATI ◽  
ROSE A. HASWINZKY ◽  
YASMINE A. DWINASTITI ◽  
SRI WAHDINI ◽  
...  

Objective: Trichuriasis is difficult to treat with single-dose anthelmintic. Although a higher cure rate (CR) can be achieved by treatment with triple-dose albendazole and mebendazole, the results of studies are inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of triple-dose albendazole and mebendazole in treating trichuriasis. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a primary school in the Pandeglang District, Banten Province, Indonesia in July–August, 2018; 382 children were recruited. Stools were collected and examined microscopically using the Kato–Katz method to identify Trichuriasis eggs. Children positive for Trichuris trichiura were randomized and divided into two groups. One was given a triple dose of 400 mg albendazole and the other a triple dose of 500 mg mebendazole. On day 14 after treatment, stools were reexamined to calculate CR and the egg reduction rate (ERR). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infection was 42%, and that of trichuriasis and ascariasis was 25.1% and 29.8%. There was a significant difference (Wilcoxon test, P<0.01) in the intensity of infection before and after intervention. Both groups showed high values of CR (mebendazole: 95.2%, albendazole: 85.4%; Fisher’s exact test, P = 0.125) and ERR (mebendazole: 99%, albendazole: 96%; Mann–Whitney test, P = 0.110). There was no significant difference in CR and ERR between the two groups. Conclusion: Triple-dose albendazole was as effective as triple-dose mebendazole in treating trichuriasis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A435-A436
Author(s):  
Isabel Shamsudeen ◽  
Mehr Jain ◽  
Jeffrey Ding ◽  
Faisal Khosa

Abstract Background: Subscription-based (SB) is the traditional publication model for peer-reviewed research; however, open-access (OA) models have been rising in popularity in recent years. Journals may be owned by commercial, professional society, university or government publishers. SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) indicator is a measure of the scientific influence of scholarly journals. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the publication model, ownership and SJR indicator of the top Endocrinology journals. This will help inform researchers’ decisions when selecting a journal to submit their work to. Methods: The SCImagoJR website was used to obtain a database of active, peer-reviewed Endocrinology journals worldwide. Publishers were grouped by parent company and categorized as commercial, professional society, university or government. Journals were searched on the National Library of Medicine catalogue to determine whether they are indexed on MEDLINE. Data was analyzed using IBM Statistics version 25. Fischer’s exact test was performed to assess the distribution of publication model and indexing status. Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to assess the distribution of SJR. Results: 207 Endocrinology journals were included; 134 SB (64.73%) and 73 OA (35.27%). 122 journals are indexed in MEDLINE. The top three publishers of Endocrinology journals are Elsevier, Springer Nature and Wiley, all of which are commercial entities. They collectively own 91/207 (43.96%) Endocrinology journals and 70/122 (57.38%) MEDLINE-indexed journals. The top three publishers own more SB than OA journals, though this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.080). There was no significant difference in the distribution of indexing status across the top three publishers (p = 0.250) and the four publisher types (p = 0.928). There were significantly more SB than OA journals indexed in MEDLINE (p&lt;0.001). There was no significant difference in the distribution of SJR indicator across the top three publishers (p = 0.283) and publisher types (p = 0.873) (see Table 1). SB journals had significantly higher SJR indicators compared to OA journals (all journals, p = 0.002; indexed journals only, p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Endocrinology journals are largely controlled by a few commercial entities and are primarily SB. Compared to OA, SB journals have significantly higher SJR indicators, meaning they are more influential. This is an important consideration for researchers when considering where to submit their work.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Cortegiani ◽  
Mariachiara Ippolito ◽  
Giulia Ingoglia ◽  
Andrea Manca ◽  
Lucia Cugusi ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundScopus is a leading bibliometric database. It contains the largest number of articles cited in peer-reviewed publications. The journals included in Scopus are periodically re-evaluated to ensure they meet indexing criteria and some journals might be discontinued for publication concerns. These journals remain indexed and can be cited. Their metrics have yet to be studied. This study aimed to evaluate the main features and metrics of journals discontinued from Scopus for publication concerns, before and after their discontinuation, and to determine the extent of predatory journals among the discontinued journals.MethodsWe surveyed the list of discontinued journals from Scopus (July 2019). Data regarding metrics, citations and indexing were extracted from Scopus or other scientific databases, for the journals discontinued for publication concerns.ResultsA total of 317 journals were evaluated. Ninety-three percent of the journals (294/318) declared they published using an Open Access model. The subject areas with the greatest number of discontinued journals were Medicine (52/317; 16%), Agriculture and Biological Science (34/317; 11%), and Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (31/317; 10%). The mean number of citations per year after discontinuation was significantly higher than before (median of difference 64 citations, p<0.0001), and so was the number of citations per document (median of difference 0.4 citations, p<0.0001). Twenty-two percent (72/317) were included in the Cabell’s blacklist. The DOAJ currently included only 9 journals while 61 were previously included and discontinued, most for “suspected editorial misconduct by the publisher’. Conclusions: The citation count of journals discontinued for publication concerns increases despite discontinuation and predatory behaviors seemed common. This paradoxical trend can inflate scholars’ metrics prompting artificial career advancements, bonus systems and promotion. Countermeasures should be taken urgently to ensure the reliability of Scopus metrics both at the journal- and author-level for the purpose of scientific assessment of scholarly publishing.


F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 415
Author(s):  
Andrea Cortegiani ◽  
Mariachiara Ippolito ◽  
Giulia Ingoglia ◽  
Andrea Manca ◽  
Lucia Cugusi ◽  
...  

Background: Scopus is a leading bibliometric database. It contains the largest number of articles cited in peer-reviewed publications. The journals included in Scopus are periodically re-evaluated to ensure they meet indexing criteria and some journals might be discontinued for publication concerns. These journals remain indexed and can be cited. Their metrics have yet to be studied. This study aimed to evaluate the main features and metrics of journals discontinued from Scopus for publication concerns, before and after their discontinuation, and to determine the extent of predatory journals among the discontinued journals. Methods: We surveyed the list of discontinued journals from Scopus (July 2019). Data regarding metrics, citations and indexing were extracted from Scopus or other scientific databases, for the journals discontinued for publication concerns.  Results: A total of 317 journals were evaluated. Ninety-three percent of the journals (294/318) declared they published using an Open Access model. The subject areas with the greatest number of discontinued journals were Medicine (52/317; 16%), Agriculture and Biological Science (34/317; 11%), and Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (31/317; 10%). The mean number of citations per year after discontinuation was significantly higher than before (median of difference 64 citations, p<0.0001), and so was the number of citations per document (median of difference 0.4 citations, p<0.0001). Twenty-two percent (72/317) were included in the Cabell’s blacklist. The DOAJ currently included only 9 journals while 61 were previously included and discontinued, most for 'suspected editorial misconduct by the publisher'. Conclusions: The citation count of journals discontinued for publication concerns increases despite discontinuation and predatory behaviors seemed common. This paradoxical trend can inflate scholars’ metrics prompting artificial career advancements, bonus systems and promotion. Countermeasures should be taken urgently to ensure the reliability of Scopus metrics both at the journal- and author-level for the purpose of scientific assessment of scholarly publishing.


Author(s):  
Hakimeh Abdoli ◽  
Tabandeh Sadeghi ◽  
Majid Kazemi

AbstractBackgroundPoisoning with methadone is considered dangerous and fatal, which can lead to decreased consciousness, coma, apnea and eventually death.AimsThe present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of educating the clients of rehabilitation (rehab) centers on the frequency of methadone poisoning among children.MethodsIn the present semi-experimental study, the study population included all of the clients referred to the rehab centers in an urban area of Iran who received treatment with methadone. Samples were selected using the census method. The data gathering tool was a researcher-made questionnaire of which the content validity has been approved. To perform the educational program, educational brochures were distributed among all the rehab centers (33 centers) and one face-to-face educational session was conducted at each center. Six months after the intervention, the number of under 12 year-old children who were referred to hospital with methadone poisoning was calculated and compared to the same number from the 6 months prior to the study. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.ResultsAccording to the results, the number of methadone poisonings during the 6-month period prior to the study was 29, while the same number during the 6-month period after the intervention was 9. Fisher’s exact test showed a significant difference between the number of methadone poisonings before and after the intervention (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe increased level of knowledge among the parents referred to rehab centers could decrease the rate of poisoning among their children. Therefore, performing this educational program is recommended for all the rehab centers.


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