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Microplastics in edible aquatic species in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis distinguishing chemically confirmed plastics from putative plastic-like particles
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This record describes the methods for a planned review summarizing existing research on microplastics found in fish and other edible aquatic animals from European waters. It explains how the researchers plan to separate confirmed plastic particles, checked with chemical testing, from particles that merely look like plastic, but does not yet report findings.
This retrospective registration documents the methods and methodological amendments of an expanded systematic review and meta-analysis of microplastic contamination in edible aquatic species relevant to European production and consumption. The review covers marine, brackish and freshwater environments. Species eligibility for human consumption is distinguished from the dietary relevance of the tissue analysed. Gastrointestinal contents, edible tissues and other biological compartments are considered separately, together with individual and pooled sampling designs. The evidence synthesis distinguishes chemically confirmed plastics from putative plastic-like particles. Animal-level prevalence of confirmed plastic contamination requires chemical identification linked to the positive animals; chemical confirmation of a particle subsample alone is insufficient. Prevalence and abundance outcomes are evaluated separately, with attention to particle size, reporting units, analytical techniques, contamination controls and dependence between observations. Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection were searched on 16 October 2026. The eligible first-online publication period extends from 1 January 2020 through 16 October 2026. Retrieval included publication years 2020–2027 to capture already available articles assigned to future issues, without implying coverage of publications appearing after the search date. No open-access restriction was applied. An earlier version of this review was disseminated as a Research Square preprint entitled “Microplastic contamination in edible aquatic species from Europe: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis (2020–2025)”: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8339100/v1 The current manuscript is undergoing substantial revision, including an expanded evidence base, revised evidence classification, broader tissue and outcome coverage, and revised statistical analyses. Searches, screening, data extraction, investigator verification and exploratory quantitative analyses had already been undertaken before this registration. Manuscript revision and reporting remain ongoing. This registration provides a dated record of the current methodological framework and its development; it does not constitute prospective preregistration.
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