Table 2 General characteristics of included guidelines (N = 40)
From: Guidelines for randomized clinical trial protocol content: a systematic review
General characteristic | n (%) |
|---|---|
  Type of document |  |
   Journal article | 22 (55) |
   Book | 7 (16) |
   Institutional or international agency guideline not presented in one of the above | 10 (25) |
   Other (1 website) | 1 (3) |
  Date of publication/version |  |
   Earlier than 1971 | 1 (3) |
   1971-1980 | 5 (13) |
   1981-1990 | 7 (18) |
   1991-2000 | 6 (15) |
   2001-2010 | 18 (45) |
   Not stated/unclear | 3 (8) |
  Format |  |
   Text (for example, headings) | 11 (28) |
   Checklist/Table/Bullet list | 16 (40) |
   Checklist/Table/Bullet list and additional text | 11 (28) |
   Template | 2 (5) |
  Scope |  |
   RCT only | 7 (18) |
   More than RCTs | 29 (73) |
   Unclear/not stated | 4 (10) |
  Guidance version |  |
   New guidance | 31 (78) |
   Building on existing guidance | 5 (13) |
   Update of previous guidance | 4 (10) |
  Funding |  |
   Yes - non-profit | 6 (15) |
   Not reported/Unclear | 33 (83) |
   Reported no funding | 0 (0) |
  Endorsement (explicit or probable) | 15 (38) |
  Number of items - median (IQR); range | 23 (14, 34); 7 to 109 |
  Number of explicit concepts addressed* - median (IQR); range | 31 (24, 80); 16 to 150 |