Geoinformation or misinformation? a review of the geographic description of study areas in published academic articles

ABSTRACT

Geocoordinates are difficult to generate and interpret and many users rely on academic articles for such data. However, their accuracy has not been assessed, and their continued use could have negative consequences. This paper assessed the accuracy of geocoordinates used to describe study areas in academic articles. The PRISMA methodology was used to select 87 articles. The results revealed that 77 (82.8%) geocoordinates had errors. The study concluded that majority of the articles misinformed the readers about the geocoordinates of their study areas. Hence, authors, editors and reviewers should pay attention to geocoordinates during the writing and review process.

KEYWORDS:

• Coordinates
• Ghana
• Upper West Region
• latitude
• longitude
• peer review

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).