Reflections on Medical Journals

Letters17 December 2002Reflections on Medical JournalsDavid Moher, MSc, Kenneth F. Schulz, PhD, Douglas G. Altman, DSc, and Drummond Rennie, MDDavid Moher, MScUniversity of Ottawa; Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, CanadaFamily Health International; Research Triangle Park, NC 27709Centre for Statistics in Medicine; Oxford OX3 7LF, United Kingdom JAMA, Chicago, IL 60610; University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143Search for more papers by this author, Kenneth F. Schulz, PhDUniversity of Ottawa; Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, CanadaFamily Health International; Research Triangle Park, NC 27709Centre for Statistics in Medicine; Oxford OX3 7LF, United Kingdom JAMA, Chicago, IL 60610; University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143Search for more papers by this author, Douglas G. Altman, DScUniversity of Ottawa; Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, CanadaFamily Health International; Research Triangle Park, NC 27709Centre for Statistics in Medicine; Oxford OX3 7LF, United Kingdom JAMA, Chicago, IL 60610; University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143Search for more papers by this author, and Drummond Rennie, MDUniversity of Ottawa; Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, CanadaFamily Health International; Research Triangle Park, NC 27709Centre for Statistics in Medicine; Oxford OX3 7LF, United Kingdom JAMA, Chicago, IL 60610; University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-137-12-200212170-00033 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Dr. Kassirer makes statements about journals that, because he has not troubled to present data, are hard to check (1). Nevertheless, we were amused by his response to “Standardization,” particularly when he is attempting to determine whether progress has made medical journals better. He writes, “A small cadre of editors recently recommended that authors of original research papers standardize their content” and then pours scorn on such efforts as CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials). Had he read the article he cites by Rennie (2), he would have realized that the effort sprang from a serious problem, ...Reference1. Kassirer JP. Reflections on medical journals: has progress made them better? [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:46-8. [PMID: 12093244] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Rennie D. CONSORT revised—improving the reporting of randomized trials [Editorial]. JAMA. 2001;285:2006-7. [PMID: 11308440] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Schulz KF, Chalmers I, Hayes RJ, Altman DG. Empirical evidence of bias. Dimensions of methodological quality associated with estimates of treatment effects in controlled trials. JAMA. 1995;273:408-12. [PMID: 7823387] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Moher D, Pham B, Jones A, Cook DJ, Jadad AR, Moher M, et al . Does quality of reports of randomised trials affect estimates of intervention efficacy reported in meta-analyses? Lancet. 1998;352:609-13. [PMID: 9746022] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Moher D, Jones A, Lepage L. Use of the CONSORT statement and quality of reports of randomized trials: a comparative before-and-after evaluation. JAMA. 2001;285:1992-5. [PMID: 11308436] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Ottawa; Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, CanadaFamily Health International; Research Triangle Park, NC 27709Centre for Statistics in Medicine; Oxford OX3 7LF, United Kingdom JAMA, Chicago, IL 60610; University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoReflections on Medical Journals: Has Progress Made Them Better? Jerome P. Kassirer Reflections on Medical Journals Jerome P. Kassirer Metrics Cited byComunicación científica 17 December 2002Volume 137, Issue 12Page: 1011-1012KeywordsCreativityObservational studiesRandomized trialsResearch reporting guidelinesScientists ePublished: 17 December 2002 Issue Published: 17 December 2002 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2002 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...