Review of: Interpreting and Reporting Clinical Trials – A guide to the CONSORT statement and the principles of randomised controlled trials by Anthony Keech, Val Gebski and Rhana Pike

Book details Keech A, Gebski V, Pike R: Interpreting and Reporting Clinical Trials. A guide to the CONSORT statement and the principles of randomised controlled trials. Sydney, MJA books, Australasian Medical Publishing Company; 2007. This book is based on a series of articles in the Medical Journal of Australia "Trials on Trial"; I did not read the original articles, but this edited book is of high quality. Its structure has 22 short chapters essentially based on the 22 item checklist used in the CONSORT statement. The chapters read well generally, although each is written by a different combination of about 2 to 4 of the 22 different authors, with at least one of the editors. The original CONSORT statement authors have provided a full paper explaining and elaborating the reasons for the items in the checklist, but this book goes further. It is not only a guide for authors of trial reports but also a very useful book for anyone studying the science of clinical trials or taking a course about them.