Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2002 Apr;36(2):124-5.
doi: 10.1136/bjsm.36.2.124.

The quality of research in sports journals

C Bleakley  1 , D MacAuley
Affiliations
Comparative Study

The quality of research in sports journals

C Bleakley et al. Br J Sports Med. 2002 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the evidence base of sports medicine research.

Methods: A sample of four major journals that present core research in sport and exercise medicine (British Journal of Sports Medicine, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, and Physical Therapy) was examined using assessment criteria taken from the READER method.

Results: Randomised controlled trials comprised 10% or less of all original research articles. Observational/descriptive studies were the most commonly published study design. There was a highly significant difference (p<0.0001) in the contents of the four journals but when they were compared by categorising the better quality methods together (randomised control trial, case-control, and cohort studies), the difference was not significant (p = 0.09).

Conclusions: The overall pattern of publication type seems remarkably stable over medical journals, indicating that the quality of sports medicine research is comparable to that in other specialities.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. N Engl J Med. 2000 Jun 22;342(25):1907-9 - PubMed
    1. BMJ. 2000 Jul 29;321(7256):255-6 - PubMed
    1. J Sci Med Sport. 2000 Sep;3(3):254-9 - PubMed
    1. Br J Rheumatol. 1991 Oct;30(5):352-5 - PubMed
    1. Br J Gen Pract. 1998 May;48(430):1229-32 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms