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. 2022 Sep 14;5(3):e39365. doi: 10.2196/39365

Table 1.

Characteristics of systematic reviews with and without primary studies published in predatory journals (N=100).

Study characteristics Contains a primary study published in a suspected predatory journal, n (%) Chi-square (df) P value

No Yes Total

Journal 3.69 (4,1) .45

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 26 (26) 17 (17) 43 (43)


British Journal of Dermatology 12 (12) 4 (4) 16 (16)


Journal of Investigative Dermatology 1 (1) 0 (0) 1 (1)


Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology 19 (19) 8 (8) 27 (27)


Jama Dermatology 11 (11) 2 (2) 13 (13)

Year of publication 0.64 (2,1) .07

2019 24 (24) 13 (13) 37 (37)


2020 30 (30) 11 (11) 41 (41)


2021 15 (15) 7 (7) 22 (22)

Systematic review contained a meta-analysis 9.38 (1,1) .002

No 20 (20) 19 (19) 39 (39)


Yes 49 (49) 12 (12) 61 (61)
Study received funding 2.69 (1,1) .10

No 47 (47) 26 (26) 73 (73)


Yes 22 (22) 5 (5) 27 (27)

Includes search from PubMed 0.06 (1,1) .81

No 36 (36) 17 (17) 53 (53)


Yes 33 (33) 14 (14) 47 (47)

Includes search from Web of Science 0.39 (1,1) .53

No 53 (53) 22 (22) 75 (75)


Yes 16 (16) 9 (9) 25 (25)

Includes search from Cochrane 0.15 (1,1) .70

No 35 (35) 17 (17) 52 (52)


Yes 34 (34) 14 (14) 48 (48)

Includes search from Trial Registries 0.90 (1,1) .34

No 47 (47) 24 (24) 71 (71)


Yes 22 (22) 7 (7) 29 (29)

Includes search from Embase 3.77 (1,1) .05

No 14 (14) 12 (12) 26 (26)


Yes 55 (55) 19 (19) 74 (74)

Systematic reviews of RCTsa, NRSIsb, or both 1.66 (2,1) .44

RCTs only 12 (12) 4 (4) 16 (16)


NRSIs only 37 (37) 14 (14) 51 (51)


Both RCTs and NRSIs 20 (20) 13 (13) 33 (33)

Systematic review had a protocol 5.78 (1,1) .02

No 41 (41) 26 (26) 67 (67)


Yes 28 (28) 5 (5) 33 (33)

aRCT: randomized controlled trial.

bNRSI: nonrandomized studies of interventions.