Randomized trials published in some Chinese journals: how many are randomized?

ABSTRACT:

Background

The approximately 1100 medical journals now active in China are publishing a rapidly increasing number of research reports, including many studies identified by their authors as randomized controlled trials. It has been noticed that these reports mostly present positive results, and their quality and authenticity have consequently been called into question. We investigated the adequacy of randomization of clinical trials published in recent years in China to determine how many of them met acceptable standards for allocating participants to treatment groups.

Methods

The China National Knowledge Infrastructure electronic database was searched for reports of randomized controlled trials on 20 common diseases published from January 1994 to June 2005. From this sample,

SUBMITTER: Wu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2716312 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature