Articles about a specific randomised trial |
Complete trial protocol |
(An accompanying discussion of why the trial was designed the way it was is encouraged) |
First report of trial findings |
Expanded report of trial findings after a shorter version has appeared in another peer-reviewed, paper-based journal |
Secondary analyses (e.g. health economic analyses, harms and other non-primary outcomes, sensitivity analyses) |
Discussion of specific issues of the trial design |
Description of particular aspects of the trial conduct, such as data collection, choice or measurement of outcomes, training of observers, data handling, organisational issues, etc |
Lessons learned: "What we would do differently knowing what we know now" |
Critical commentary on a trial report published elsewhere |
Articles about randomised trials in general |
Issues related to the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, reporting or publication of randomised trials |
Reviews of published articles describing randomised trials, relating to one or more of trial design, organisation, conduct, analysis, reporting, and interpretation |
Issues relating to assessing outcomes, especially efforts to standardise outcomes in a particular medical field |
Commentaries |
Commentary to accompany articles published in Trials (usually commissioned) |
Discussion of issues relating to randomised trials, especially topical matters |