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Table 1 Arguments for and against including conference abstracts in systematic reviews

From: How should systematic reviewers handle conference abstracts? A view from the trenches

For

Against

Comprehensiveness increased

Resources may be inadequate for locating relevant conference abstracts

Potential for impact of publication bias decreased

Abstracts may not contain adequate information for systematic reviewers to appraise the design, methods, risk of bias, outcomes, and results of studies reported in the abstracts

Increased information leads to increased precision

Dependability of results presented in abstracts is questionable