Evaluation of the Quality of Writing of the Title and Abstract of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Papers Published in the Journals of the Iran,s Universities of Medical Sciences in 2016, Based on the CONSORT Checklist: A Descriptive Study

Background and Objectives: Given the fact that randomized controlled clinical trials are more valid than other research methods to determine the therapeutic effects of treatment, proper design and accurate reporting is of particular importance. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the quality of writing the title and abstract of randomized clinical trials of Iranian medical universities journals in 2016 using the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, information gathering through internet search was limited to Persian language journals affiliated to the medical universities of the country. Based on the CONSORT checklist, which contains 18 questions, all randomly controlled clinical trials, consisting of 262 papers published in these magazines in 2016, were reviewed. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Results: Only 34 (13%) of the articles refered to “randomized” word in the title of the article. Regarding the proportion of cases observed in the articles, based on the gender of the author, only two "mentioning the place of data collection" (p=0.009) and "mentioning clinical trial registration number" (p=0.020) and based on the scientific rank two cases, namely, “mentioning the full details of the responsible author” (p=0.002) and "mentioning the randomized method" (p=0.039) were significantly different. Conclusion: The need to follow CONSORT criteria and eliminate the deficiencies mentioned for conducting these studies in the country seems necessary. Therefore, it is recommended to the authors to use the CONSORT clinical checklist while writing randomized controlled clinical trials. Key words: Clinical trial, CONSORT, Writing quality   . How to cite this article: Hosseini SM, Ahmadinia H, Rezaeian M. Evaluation of the Quality of Writing of the Title and Abstract of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Papers Published in the Journals of the Iran,s Universities of Medical Sciences in 2016, Based on the CONSORT Checklist: A Descriptive Study. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2019; 18 (3): 267-84. [Farsi]