Improving the reporting and usability of research studies

Excerpt

Biomedical research and development is a multi-billion dollar industry that is failing to produce high-quality usable reports of research methods and findings. Poor reporting of research is serious, leading to a waste of investment in research, resources, and especially in data from patients participating in research who assume they are making useful contributions to health-care decision-making. Among the factors contributing to poorly reported studies is the lack of training, awareness, and knowledge about existing tools for those more directly involved in the publication process of research – authors, editors, and peer reviewers. Reporting guidelines are tools that have evolved from the early days of the original Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement to over 200 guidelines and a formal network (EQUATOR) of guideline producers and users. Despite increasing development of different study designs and types of data, the value of reporting guidelines is still not being widely realized. Through support by journals publishing health research, reporting guidelines have been shown to have a positive influence on the completeness of reported research. Nevertheless, one of the fundamental challenges of reporting guidelines is ensuring their uptake and use at the optimal time and by relevant individuals in the research process. Additional resources would help improve the current dismal state of the reported medical literature. Two such examples include development of electronic tools to facilitate integration and ease of use of reporting guidelines into manuscript writing and the peer review process as well as further training of all contributors to the problem. The purpose of this editorial is to highlight, for the benefit of readers and authors alike, several of the currently available resources to improve the reporting and usability of biomedical research. …