A Survey of Reporting Guidelines and Trial Registration among Cardiothoracic Surgery Journals.

Authors

  • Jake Checketts, MSII Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine (OSU-COM)
  • Cole Wayant, MSIII Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
  • Nate Nelson, MSII Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
  • Matt Vassar, Ph.D. Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences

Keywords:

Key Words, Reporting Guidelines, CONSORT, PRISMA, Trial Registration, Clinical Trial

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the current state of two publication practices in cardiothoracic journals: reporting guidelines and clinical trial registration. Methods We abstracted data from the web-based "Instructions for Authors" of the top 20 cardiothoracic surgery journals as defined by the Google Scholar Metrics h-5 index. Our primary analysis was to determine the level of adherence to reporting guidelines and trial registration policies by each journal. Results Of the 20 cardiothoracic surgery journals, 10 (10/20, 50%) did not mention a single guideline within their "Instructions for Authors," while the remaining 10 (10/20, 50%) mentioned one or more guidelines. ICMJE guidelines (15/20, 75%) and the CONSORT statement (10/19, 52.6%) were mentioned most often. Of the 20 cardiothoracic surgery journals, 9 (9/20, 45%) did not mention trial or review registration, while the remaining 11 (11/20, 55%) at least mentioned one of the two. Conclusions Our investigation of the adherence to reporting guidelines and trial registration policies in cardiothoracic journals demonstrates a need for improvement. Reporting guidelines have been shown to improve methodological and reporting quality, thereby preventing bias from entering the literature. We recommend the adoption of reporting guidelines and trial registration policies by all cardiothoracic journals.

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Published

2018-03-15

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2018)

Section

Medical

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