The editorial team is delighted to receive randomised controlled trials. Please remember to use the CONSORT checklist and to incorporate as many elements as you can. Our aim is that all RCTs published in BJSM conform to the CONSORT statement.
CONSORT, stands for Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials. The CONSORT Statement is an evidence-based, minimum set of recommendations for reporting RCTs. It helps you prepare your paper for submission. The CONSORT Statement comprises a 22-item checklist and a flow diagram, along with some brief descriptive text. The checklist items focus on reporting how the trial was designed, analyzed, and interpreted; the flow diagram displays the progress of all participants through the trial. The Statement has been translated into several languages.
You might also be interested in the EQUATOR network website. This website simplifies good reporting of health research. The resources are aimed at authors, reviewers, and developers of reporting guidelines. The website features a collection of reporting guidelines that includes:
- CONSORT Statement (for reporting randomised controlled trials, as above)
- QUOROM, recently renamed PRISMA (for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised trials)
- STROBE Statement (for reporting observational studies)
- STARD Statement (for reporting diagnostic accuracy studies) and many other guidelines identified through extensive literature searches.