ArticlePloS one2021
Evaluation of reporting quality of randomized controlled trials in patients with COVID-19 using the CONSORT statement.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Large Language Model Analysis of Reporting Quality of Randomized Clinical Trial Articles: A Systematic Review.JAMA network open · 2025Pooled it
- Evaluation of methodology, reporting and transparency of 50 highly cited randomised trials in neurology: a cross-sectional analysis.BMJ open · 2026Article
- The reporting of CONSORT items and key feasibility elements in pilot and feasibility studies in hip and knee arthroplasty is suboptimal: a methodological survey.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2026Review
- Reporting Quality of Randomized Controlled Trials in Elective Hand Surgery: A Systematic Review.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2025Article
- Primary author contact for systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials: A systematic review.World journal of methodology · 2025Article
- Disparity between statistical significance and clinical importance in published randomised controlled trials: a methodological study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Post-publication peer review and the identification of methodological and reporting issues in COVID-19 trials: a qualitative study.BMJ evidence-based medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Improved outcomes with perioperative dietitian-led interventions in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty: A systematic review.Journal of orthopaedics · 2024Review
- Quality reporting of randomized controlled trials on SGLT2 inhibitors for heart failure: a comprehensive assessment.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Methodology reporting improved over time in 176,469 randomized controlled trials.Journal of clinical epidemiology · 2023Article
- Article
- Article
- Debunking the myth of using "quiet" in clinical departments: an integrative overview of available literature.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2022Article
- Transparency and reporting characteristics of COVID-19 randomized controlled trials.BMC medicine · 2022Article
- Clinical trials and Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials: Continuing concerns of compliance in COVID-19 era.Perspectives in clinical researchArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding patients with COVID-19 and analyse the influence factors.
methodsPubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library databases were searched to collect RCTs regarding patients with COVID-19. The retrieval time was from the inception to December 1, 2020. The CONSORT 2010 statement was used to evaluate the overall reporting quality of these RCTs.
results53 RCTs were included. The study showed that the average reporting rate for 37 items in CONSORT checklist was 53.85% with mean overall adherence score of 13.02±3.546 (ranged: 7 to 22). The multivariate linear regression analysis showed the overall adherence score to the CONSORT guideline was associated with journal impact factor (P = 0.006), and endorsement of CONSORT statement (P = 0.014).
conclusionAlthough many RCTs of COVID-19 have been published in different journals, the overall reporting quality of these articles was suboptimal, it can not provide valid evidence for clinical decision-making and systematic reviews. Therefore, more journals should endorse the CONSORT statement, authors should strictly follow the relevant provisions of the CONSORT guideline when reporting articles. Future RCTs should particularly focus on improvement of detailed reporting in allocation concealment, blinding and estimation of sample size.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.