The highest level of evidence is a systematic review. But there is a complicated road between an inquiry of research to a published review. Researchers have to adhere to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items to Systematic Reviews and meta-analyses) rules to ensure transparency and replicability.
We are specialists in Manuscript Editing at Mars Publications, whereby we ensure that your workflow is in tandem with these international standards. There is more than just a journal requirement to follow the steps of PRISMA; it is a way to establish a foundation of trust with your readers.
The Protocol: Preparation of the Stage
You have to define your protocol before you find any paper. This road map defines your inclusion and exclusion rules, your search strategy and your major findings.
Duplicative research is blocked by registering on such platforms as PROSPERO. It also reveals that you did not pick and choose your ways after the results were available. The first thing that an editor seeks during Manuscript Editing is a clear protocol since it authenticates the whole study design.
Identification: The Search Phase
Identification is the first step of PRISMA. To locate all the relevant studies, you will have to search several databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Embase.
This is a phase that authors find difficult to document. You need to note down the number of records that you found in each database. You should also consider the so-called gray literature, i.e. conference abstracts and dissertations. Failure to include a pivotal database may cause a publication bias which is one of the major causes of rejection of a manuscript.
Screening: Perfecting the Selection
When you have your records together, then you are screened. This is done in two different phases:
- Title and Abstract Screening: This stage is used to filter out obviously unimportant papers.
- Full-Text Assessment: You go through the rest of the articles in a detailed manner to make sure that they satisfy your particular requirements.
At this phase, you have to monitor the Reason of Exclusion. You need to document a study in case you have excluded a study due to the wrong population or inconsistency of doses. Having good documentation in the screening ensures that the Manuscript Editing process is much easier because it will present you with raw information in which to build your flow diagram.
Quality Assessment and Eligibility
Eligibility stage is the one on which you ensure the studies are the ones that you need to have the data to proceed with your synthesis. Nonetheless, it is not enough to find a relevant study.
The risk of bias also needs to be evaluated by you
Are the studies randomized? Is the blinding sufficient? Such tools as the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool will help you not form your conclusions based on flimsy evidence. Quality Manuscript Editing is ensuring that your narrative discussion is in line with your risk-of-bias tables.
Inclusion: The Ultimate Synthesis
Inclusion is the last stage in PRISMA workflow. This is where you reduce the number of studies which passed the tough screening process. This portion has to be as transparent as possible whether you are conducting a qualitative synthesis or a quantitative meta-analysis.
This is where the center of your paper lies. It is necessary to provide the features of the included studies, including sample size, demographics and results in the way accessible to the reader.
The PRISMA Flow Diagram: Your Graphical Evidence
PRISMA flow diagram is the illustration of your whole trip. It follows the flow of information within the process of identification to inclusion.
This diagram is overwhelming to many researchers. They tend to forget the figures between the screening and eligibility processes. A diagram that does not match is a warning signal to the peer reviewers. The focus of our team members at Mars Publications when editing this work on the Manuscript Editing process is the technical soundness of this diagram. We make sure that the math is correct and the words are the same as the 2020 PRISMA update.
The importance of quality editing in systematic reviews
Systematic reviews are tedious and bloated. A small slip in a Forest Plot or an omission in the flow diagram can get your publication schedule off.
Professional Manuscript Editing functions as an ultimate safety net. We are not only correcting grammar but also examining the reason for your review. We make sure that your reporting is clear, your data is coherent, and your conclusion is grounded. At Mars Publications, you hand in your work with the hope that it will be of the highest scholarly standards.
Conclusion
The ability to follow the PRISMA steps is what makes the difference between a mediocre review and a highly cited landmark study. Implementing these steps, namely, Identification, Screening, Eligibility, and Inclusion, you are able to offer the transparency that contemporary science requires.