Abstract
The frequency and cognizance of withdrawals and retractions (WAR) have been increasing across science. However, no work so far has evaluated the frequency and causes of WAR of Cochrane systematic reviews, which impact policy and practice globally. A retrospective meta-scientific study of Cochrane systematic reviews, published during 1996-2023, that were marked as WAR, was retrieved from PubMed. Data was extracted with independent review and validation related to year of publication, country, editorial group, World Bank income classification of country of co-authors, and listed reasons for WAR. Protocols were excluded. We found that outdated articles and authors' unavailability for updates were common reasons for WAR. This research sheds light on maintaining the reliability of evidence in healthcare.
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