Indexing of diagnosis accuracy studies in MEDLINE and EMBASE.
BACKGROUND
STAndards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) were published in 2003 and endorsed by some journals but not others.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the quality of indexing of diagnostic accuracy studies in MEDLINE and EMBASE has improved since the STARD statement was published.


METHODS
Evaluate the change in the mean number of "accurate index terms" assigned to diagnostic accuracy studies, comparing STARD (endorsing) and non-STARD (non-endorsing) journals, for 2 years before and after STARD publication.


RESULTS
In MEDLINE, no differences in indexing quality were found for STARD and non-STARD journals before or after the STARD statement was published in 2003. In EMBASE, indexing in STARD journals improved compared with non-STARD journals (p = 0.02). However, articles in STARD journals had half the number of accurate indexing terms as articles in non-STARD journals, both before and after STARD statement publication (p < 0.001).
Wilczynski
Nancy L
NL
Health Research Methodology Program, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Haynes
R Brian
RB
D000043:Abstracting and Indexing / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic; D003933:Diagnosis; D019937:Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures / Q000592:standards*; D035081:Editorial Policies; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods; D016239:MEDLINE; D010506:Periodicals as Topic