Studying Adherence to Reporting Standards in Kinesiology: A Post-publication Peer Review Brief Report

Authors

Nikki M. Watson, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis ObispoFollow
Jafra D. Thomas, California Polytechnic State University--San Luis ObispoFollow

Other Subject Area

research methods, research reporting standards

Abstract

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(7): 25-37, 2024. To demonstrate how post-publication peer reviews—using journal article reporting standards—could improve the design and write-up of kinesiology research, the authors performed a post-publication peer review on one systematic literature review published in 2020. Two raters (1^st & 2^nd authors) critically appraised the case article between April and May 2021. The latest Journal Article Reporting Standards by the American Psychological Association relevant to the review were used: i.e., Table 1 (quantitative research standards) and Table 9 (research synthesis standards). A standard fully met was deemed satisfactory. Per Krippendorff’s alpha-coefficient, inter-rater agreement was moderate for Table 1 (k-alpha = .57, raw-agreement = 72.2%) and poor for Table 9 (k-alpha = .09, raw-agreement = 53.6%). A 100% consensus was reached on all discrepancies. Results suggest the case article’s Abstract, Methods, and Discussion sections required clarification or more detail. Per Table 9 standards, four sections were largely incomplete: i.e., Abstract (100%-incomplete), Introduction (66%-incomplete), Methods (75%-incomplete), and Discussion (66%-incomplete). Case article strengths included tabular summary of studies analyzed in the systematic review and a cautionary comment about the review’s generalizability. The article’s write-up gave detail to help the reader understand the scope of the study and decisions made by the authors. However, adequate detail was not provided to assess the credibility of all claims made in the article. This could affect readers’ ability to obtain critical and nuanced understanding of the article’s topics. The results of this critique should encourage (continuing) education on journal article reporting standards for diverse stakeholders (e.g., authors, reviewers).

Recommended Citation

Watson, Nikki M. and Thomas, Jafra D. (2024) "Studying Adherence to Reporting Standards in Kinesiology: A Post-publication Peer Review Brief Report," International Journal of Exercise Science: Vol. 17 : Iss. 7, Pages 25 - 37.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijes/vol17/iss7/1