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Uniform structured formats for scientific
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Clear, efficient communication is a central aim of any
scientific report. Clarity, however, can readily be lost when, as
authors, we employ our individual literary style, omit detail that we
but not the reader take "as read", present information in long
sections without subheadings, and expand reports with comment that
relates more to the general topic than the specifics of the study.
Following peer review a common request to authors from editors is
firstly, to include more detail in the methods and results sections,
and secondly, to remove extraneous information and extrapolation from the discussion. Peer review and revision, however, do not always result
in optimal presentation of information. There is often disparity
between what a study should report and what is actually published. In
the case of randomised controlled trials (RCT) this presents important
problems for inclusion in systematic reviews1 and the
balanced appraisal of knowledge that may determine
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