Jason Roberts

Elevating the quality of disability and rehabilitation research

To ensure the quality of the disability and rehabilitation research that is published, the 28 rehabilitation journals simultaneously publishing this editorial (see acknowledgments) have agreed to take a more aggressive stance on the use of reporting guidelines (Physical Therapy, the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, the Journal of Physiotherapy, and the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine have already successfully required reporting guidelines, one for as many as 10 years).Research reportsmust contain sufficient information to allow readers to understand how a study was designed and conducted, including variable definitions, instruments and other measures, and analytical techniques (Moher, Simera, Schulz, Hoey, & Altman, 2008). By January 1, 2015, all of the journals publishing this editorial will have worked through implementation and the mandatory use of guidelines, and checklists will be firmly in place. Because each journal has its unique system for managing submissions, there may be several ways that these reporting requirements will be integrated into the manuscript flow.

Elevating the quality of disability and rehabilitation research Mandatory use of the reporting guidelines

To ensure the quality of the disability and rehabilitation research that is published, the 28 rehabilitation journals simultaneously publishing this editorial (see acknowledgments) have agreed to take a more aggressive stance on the use of reporting guidelines (Physical Therapy, the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, the Journal of Physiotherapy, and the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine have already successfully required reporting guidelines, one for as many as 10 years).Research reportsmust contain sufficient information to allow readers to understand how a study was designed and conducted, including variable definitions, instruments and other measures, and analytical techniques (Moher, Simera, Schulz, Hoey, & Altman, 2008). By January 1, 2015, all of the journals publishing this editorial will have worked through implementation and the mandatory use of guidelines, and checklists will be firmly in place. Because each journal has its unique system for managing submissions, there may be several ways that these reporting requirements will be integrated into the manuscript flow.

Reprint of: Elevating the quality of disability and rehabilitation research: Mandatory use of the reporting guidelines

Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation advocates the complete and transparent reporting of research and methods, and is pleased to be part of an initiative to mandate the use of reporting guidelines. This Editorial is a republication of a previously published Editorial in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2013.12.010), and is republished here under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). For citation purposes, please use the original publication details: Chan L, Heinemann AW, Roberts J. Elevating the Quality of Disability and Rehabilitation Research: Mandatory use of the Reporting Guidelines. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2014;95:415–7.

Republication of: Elevating the quality of disability and rehabilitation research: Mandatory use of the reporting guidelines

With the remarkable growth of disabilityand rehabilitationrelated research in the last decade, it is imperative that we support the highest quality research possible.With cuts in research funding, rehabilitation research is now under a microscope like never before, and it is critical that we put our best foot forward. To ensure the quality of the disability and rehabilitation research that is published, the 28 rehabilitation journals simultaneously publishing this editorial (see acknowledgments) have agreed to take a more aggressive stance on the use of reporting guidelines.1 Research reports must contain sufficient information to allow readers to understand how a study was designed and conducted, including variable definitions, instruments and other measures, and analytical techniques (Moher et al., 2008). For review articles, systematic or narrative, readers should be informed of the rationale and details behind the literature search strategy. Too often articles fail to include their standard for inclusion and their criteria for evaluating quality of the studies (Simera et al., 2008). As noted by Doug Altman, co-originator of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement and head of the Centre for Statistics in Medicine at Oxford University: “Good reporting is not an optional extra: it is an essential component of good research we all share this obligation and responsibility.” (Altman, June 2008).

Elevating the Quality of Disability and Rehabilitation Research: Mandatory Use of the Reporting Guidelines

To ensure the quality of the disability and rehabilitation research that is published, the 28 rehabilitation journals simultaneously publishing this editorial have agreed to take a more aggressive stance on the use of reporting guidelines. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2014;44(4):228–230. doi:10.2519/jospt.2014.0107