Improving the Quality of the Reporting of Research Results

In JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, we strive to present the highest quality clinical, translational, and population health research from an array of disciplines aligned with the clinical practice of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery. Many problems exist in the conduct and analysis of clinical research—such as faulty or incorrect study design to answer the chosen research question, bias in the selection of study participants and measurement, improper attention to the role of chance, and incorrect use of statistical tests—to undermine the validity of the published results. In this editorial it is not my intention to describe these problems in detail; instead, I will focus on the problems in results reporting and provide some solutions that we will foster in the journal. I believe results reporting has received too little attention given its enormous importance for evaluating the significance and effect of research results. Indeed, without accurate reporting, the whole research endeavor might be meaningless or even misleading. I will offer solutions to the problems of results reporting, some of which must be implemented during the planning process and well before the conduct of research. Other solutions to the problems in the conduct and analysis of clinical research address the challenges of data analysis, interpretation of results, and results reporting, all of which have been presented previously in different forums. To illustrate my main points, I will use a 2-group randomized trial study design, where average values for the experimental group are compared with the average values for the control group. The points are relevant to almost all other study designs and analytical approaches.

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