RESEARCH ARTICLE Research Design and Statistical Methods in Indian Medical Journals: A Retrospective Survey

Good quality medical research generally requires not only an expertise in the chosen medi-cal field of interest but also a sound knowledge of statistical methodology. The number of medical research articles which have been published in Indian medical journals has in-creased quite substantially in the past decade. The aim of this study was to collate all evi-dence on study design quality and statistical analyses used in selected leading Indian medical journals. Ten (10) leading Indian medical journals were selected based on impact factors and all original research articles published in 2003 (N = 588) and 2013 (N = 774) were categorized and reviewed. A validated checklist on study design, statistical analyses, results presentation, and interpretation was used for review and evaluation of the articles. Main outcomes considered in the present study were – study design types and their fre-quencies, error/defects proportion in study design, statistical analyses, and implementation of CONSORT checklist in RCT (randomized clinical trials). From 2003 to 2013: The propor-tion of erroneous statistical analyses did not decrease (χ