JFAR’s role in publishing believable research findings

Health research published in journals provides an everincreasing number of studies and trials that espouse the benefits of all sorts of interventions. But how do consumers of research, for example the readers of Journal of Foot and Ankle Research (JFAR), know whether to believe the findings of research articles that they read? Clearly, health journals have an unambiguous responsibility to support good quality research that provides believable findings. Equally, they also have a responsibility to filter out poor quality research that provides findings that are not believable. JFAR steadfastly supports good quality research and the editorial team (with the assistance of the peer-reviewers) work conscientiously to publish only those studies that are of the highest quality; that is, studies with believable findings. While this is not always easy, and the goal posts that define quality of research are constantly being repositioned, the editors strive to bring the readers of JFAR the best foot and ankle research. Unfortunately, not all studies use perfect methods, so if a study does have limitations and is published, then the editors are careful to ensure that the authors clearly acknowledge the limitations in their articles, affording readers an insight into the pitfalls of the study. To assist the editors in this task, there is a burgeoning array of guidelines and recommendations for the conduct and reporting of different study designs. For example, there are the CONsolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement [1] and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement [2]. Each guideline has been developed to ensure that important aspects of a trial or review are reported by the authors. To assist in this process, there is a checklist for each