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Accuracy of references in psychiatric literature: a survey of three journals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

L. A. Lawson  and
Ruth Fosker
L. A. Lawson*
Affiliation:
Regional Secure Unit, Runwell Hospital The Chase, Wickford, Essex SS11 7QE
Ruth Fosker
Affiliation:
Colchester and North East Essex Postgraduate Medical Centre, Colchester General Hospital Colchester
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

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Aims and method

The prevalence of errors in reference citations and use in the psychiatric literature has not been reported as it has in other scientific literature. Fifty references randomly selected from each of three psychiatric journals were examined for accuracy and appropriateness of use by validating them against the original sources.

Results

A high prevalence of errors was found, the most common being minor errors in the accuracy of citations. Major citation errors, delayed access to two original articles and three could not be traced. Eight of the references had major errors with the appropriateness of use of their quotations.

Clinical implications

Errors in accuracy of references impair the processes of research and evidence-based medicine, quotation errors could mislead clinicians into making wrong treatment decisions.

Type
Original papers
Information
Psychiatric Bulletin , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , April 1999 , pp. 221 - 224
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

References

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