The Explicit Use of Reporting Guidelines in Urogynecology Articels in 2013 – A Review of 6 Journals

Abstract

Introduction: Correct reporting of research is necessary for assessment of its quality and of its potential reproducibility. Researchers have access to reporting guidelines (RG) for different study designs, and many journals require authors to edit their manuscripts according to these. The first RG was the CONSORT statement for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in 1996, followed by the STROBE statement for observational studies (2004). A guideline for the reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses was published in 2005 (PRISMA). (1) However, we do not know to which extent RGs are used and specifically mentioned in urogynecology articles. Objective: To determine the current explicit mentioning of the 3 RGs (CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA) in urogynecology articles of 6 journals in 2013, and to assess whether journals require authors to use RGs. Methods: Descriptive bibliometric study. All articles assigned to the field “urogynecology”, which were published between January and December 2013 in the 6 journals IUJ (International Urogynecology Journal), NAU (Neurourology and Urodynamics), AJOG (American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology), Obstetrics & Gynecology, BJOG (An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) and FPMRS (Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery) were included in this research. All articles from NAU were taken into consideration irrespective of the investigated gender. Journals were accessed electronically and issues were searched for reviews, RCTs, cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies by two independent investigators. Other study designs were not included, as they are not reflected in the selected RGs. The study category was either indicated in the table of contents, in the title of the article, or assessed by the investigators. In a second step the electronic article was searched for the term PRISMA, CONSORT or STROBE according to the study design. The current “Instructions to Authors” of the 6 journals were screened for the requirement of using RGs.