Accuracy of Data in Abstracts of Published Research Articles

Abstract

The abstract accompanying a research article, because it is often the only part of the article that will be read, should reflect fully and accurately the work reported. We observed in 1 medical specialty journal that a quarter or more of manuscripts returned after revision contained data in the abstract that could not be verified in the body of the paper.¹ If this problem were to persist in published articles, then a potential for misinterpretation would exist. In the present study, we surveyed research articles and their accompanying abstracts published recently in 6 medical journals to verify data in the abstract by relating them to corresponding data in the body of the report.