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ERIC Number: EJ830690
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Mar
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0033-2909
EISSN: N/A
Use and Misuse of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Guidelines to Assess Research Findings: Comment on Coyne, Stefanek, and Palmer (2007)
Kraemer, Helena C.; Kuchler, Thomas; Spiegel, David
Psychological Bulletin, v135 n2 p173-178 Mar 2009
Comments on the article titled Psychotherapy and survival in cancer: The conflict between hope and evidence by J. C. Coyne, M. Stefanek, and S. C. Palmer. The basic principles underlying randomized clinical trials have been known for more than 50 years. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines, published in 1996 and based on those principles, are a valuable guide to what needs to be reported from any trial within word-limit constraints, but they do not provide guidelines to the decisions that have to be made to generate a trial with credible results. Using these guidelines as do J. C. Coyne, M. Stefanek, and S. C. Palmer (2007) is a misinterpretation of their purpose. Furthermore, Coyne et al. misrepresented the methods and findings of studies of the effects of psychosocial intervention on cancer survival. These errors are systematically reviewed. The results of these questionable analyses led Coyne et al. to recommend stopping research in an area that may be highly productive. Recent developments in the field are summarized. It is a mistaken and dangerous conclusion to declare this or other areas of scientific research off limits.
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A