title: Quality of reviews in epidemiology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the quality of recent reviews in epidemiology.
  
  
  METHODS
  All 1995 issues of 7 widely read epidemiology journals were searched to identify reviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine reviews were identified. Methodology was not specified or incomplete for literature searches in 79% of reviews; the same was true for inclusion criteria in 83% and for combining studies in 62%. More than 60% of the reviews were not methodologically systematic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a need to improve the quality of review papers in epidemiology. If systematic methodology were followed more frequently, epidemiologic science and its application could be improved.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md. 20892-7344, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Breslow
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Weed
mesh_terms: D004813:Epidemiology; D012196:Review Literature as Topic