Table 2.
Top 100 most-cited articles according to their study designs and levels of evidence
| Level of evidence | Group | Number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta-analyses of RCTs | I | A | 3 |
| Systematic reviews | I | A | 5 |
| RCTs | I | A | 12 |
| Prospective cohort studies | I | A | 17 |
| Prospective comparative studies | 2 | B | 2 |
| Retrospective comparative studies | 3 | B | 10 |
| Retrospective cohort studies | 3 | B | 13 |
| Case-control studies | 3 | B | 1 |
| Observational-descriptive studies | 3 | B | 8 |
| Cross-sectional correlation studies | 3 | B | 3 |
| Validation studies | 3 | B | 2 |
| Reviews | 4 | C | 12 |
| Expert committee reports | 4 | C | 10 |
| Expert opinions | 4 | C | 4 |
RCT – randomized controlled trial