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R0002/2026-03-13/C004 — Self-Audit

Summary

Domain Rating
Eligibility criteria Low risk
Search comprehensiveness Low risk
Evaluation consistency Low risk
Synthesis fairness Low risk

Overall risk of bias: Low

Detail

Eligibility Criteria

Rating: Low risk

Sources were included if they directly addressed Mulrow's 1987 study, PRISMA's development history, or the causal chain between them. The original citation, the PRISMA project's own history, and a curated historical library entry were the primary sources. No borderline inclusion decisions were required.

Search Comprehensiveness

Rating: Low risk

Five searches conducted: two broad web searches (S01, S02) and three targeted WebFetch operations (S03, S04, S05). The causal chain from Mulrow to QUOROM to PRISMA was confirmed by multiple independent sources. Both the PRISMA Group's self-history and independent scholarly sources converge on the same narrative.

Evaluation Consistency

Rating: Low risk

All sources evaluated using the same scorecard dimensions. The editorial characterization "abysmal" was tested fairly against the quantitative data (0/50 met all criteria). The self-reporting nature of the PRISMA history page was noted as a potential concern but mitigated by independent confirmation.

Synthesis Fairness

Rating: Low risk

The synthesis explicitly notes that the claim is actually conservative relative to the data. The QUOROM intermediate step in the causal chain is acknowledged. The claim is not inflated — if anything, the finding that "most failed" is an understatement of "all failed."

Flags

No flags raised.