Open access innovating in clinical trial reporting

Use the link to access the full text article published on Pharmaphorum, “the primary facilitator of thought leadership and innovation within pharma. We support the next generation of pharmaceutical industry leaders through producing, curating and publishing media that will help pharma embrace the challenges of providing healthcare solutions in the 21st century.” The authors are current staff members at BioMed Central. The article opens as follows: “Online, open access medical publishing has provided new opportunities for increased transparency and innovation in clinical trial reporting, which if widely adopted can ultimately help enhance the quality and reliability of evidence. Through free, immediate and universal – open – access to trial information, from study registration through to sharing of raw data, open access publishers are taking steps to improve trial reporting. Journals remain the foremost medium for communicating trial research and results, and open access journals are innovating in the way trials are reported. Open access journal Trials, has been publishing trial results, protocols, methodologies, and reviews since 2006, and has continually adapted to fit the needs of the clinical trial and research community, both in terms of policy and in the author services offered by the journal. The journal’s article types reflect the diverse nature of clinical trials research, although study protocols make up about half of publications. Protocol publication improves outcome reporting by providing a record of the intended method, and allowing readers to critically assess the outcome in light of the original study aims. Authors also benefit as reviewer recommendations can potentially prompt improvements in protocols.”