Journal
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
Volume 58, Issue 7, Pages 662-667Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2005.01.004
Keywords
CONSORT; general medical journals; reporting; specialist journals
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Background: We aimed to determine if specialist journals implement specific Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials (CONSORT) recommendations to the same extent as general medical journals. Methods: Analysis of random controlled trials (RCTs) in five general medical journals (n = 100) and 10 specialist journals (n = 100), all endorsing CONSORT. We evaluated the likelihood of reporting important methodologic criteria. Analyses controlled for the nested effect of journal within each journal type. Results: General medical journals published, on average, more CONSORT items per RCT than specialist journals (7.9 [SD 1.81 vs. 6.5 [SD 2.2] out of 11 possible items, P =.02). When compared with specialist journals, RCTs in general medical journals published a participant flow diagram more frequently (83 vs. 42%, odds ratio [OR] 6.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.4-12.9) and more likely to report the method of randomization (78 vs. 55%, OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.5-5.3) and allocation concealment (48 vs. 26%, OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.44.7); they were less likely to publish RCTs reporting adverse events (58 vs. 78%, OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.7). Both page length and impact factor were weakly associated with number of CONSORT items reported. Conclusion: General medical and specialist journals that endorse CONSORT do not enforce reporting issues consistently, with specialty journals lagging behind general medical journals. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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