Developing a Reporting Guideline for Social and Psychological Intervention Trials

• NCJ Number: 245403
• Journal: Journal of Experimental Criminology Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2013 Pages: 355-367
• Author(s): Sean Grant; Evan Mayo-Wilson; Sally Hopewell; Geraldine Macdonald; David Moher; Paul Montgomery
• Date Published: September 2013
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Instructional Material; Guideline
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In this paper, the authors explain how reporting guidelines have improved the quality of reports in medicine, and describe the on-going development of a new reporting guideline for RCTs: CONSORT-SPI (an extension for social and psychological interventions).

Abstract

Social and psychological interventions are often complex. Understanding randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of these complex interventions requires a detailed description of the interventions tested and the methods used to evaluate them; however, RCT reports often omit, or inadequately report, this information. Incomplete and inaccurate reporting hinders the optimal use of research, wastes resources, and fails to meet ethical obligations to research participants and consumers. In this paper, the authors explain how reporting guidelines have improved the quality of reports in medicine, and describe the on-going development of a new reporting guideline for RCTs: CONSORT-SPI (an extension for social and psychological interventions). The authors invite readers to participate in the project by visiting their Web site, in order to help them reach the best-informed consensus on these guidelines (http://tinyurl.com/CONSORT-study). Abstract published by arrangement with Springer.