Research groups
Caroline Struthers
Senior EQUATOR Research Fellow
Creative innovator developing tools and training for complete, clear and transparent reporting of healthcare studies
I have been part of the EQUATOR Network team since 2014 and am involved in many aspects of EQUATOR's mission to improve the planning, conduct and reporting of healthcare studies. My main focus is developing and promoting tools and training to help embed the use of reporting guidelines in the research process at every stage. I am fanatical about using plain language when writing about research - or when writing about anything.
My current project is the development and testing of a web tool called "GoodReports" to help authors identify and use the most appropriate reporting guideline when they are submitting their manuscript to a journal. The first version of the tool is freely available here
A lifelong interest in healthcare (and a great eye for detail) led me after many years in print and digital publishing to apply for a job as information specialist for Cochrane. Six whirlwind years led me through additional roles as managing editor, training coordinator and, most significantly, project manager of an NHS-funded public engagement project for the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Group - the ALOIS Community Project. This project captured my imagination and one of my main achievements was developing a suite of eLearning materials to explain the principles of research and research synthesis to patients, carers, and the general public. These materials are still freely available on Cochrane's website, and I remain as passionate as ever about improving public understanding and involvement in health research.
Recent publications
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There is no reliable evidence that providing authors with customized article templates including items from reporting guidelines improves completeness of reporting: The GoodReports Randomized Trial (GRReaT)
Preprint
Struthers C. et al, (2024)
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GoodReports: developing a website to help health researchers find and use reporting guidelines.
Journal article
Struthers C. et al, (2021), Bmc med res methodol, 21
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Reporting guidelines should be free to publish, read, and use.
Journal article
Logullo P. et al, (2020), J glob health, 10
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Bias caused by reliance on patient-reported outcome measures in non-blinded randomized trials: an in-depth look at exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome
Journal article
Tack M. et al, (2020), Fatigue: biomedicine, health & behavior, 1 - 12
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Cumberlege review: It's not only drugs and medical devices that can cause harm.
Journal article
Struthers C., (2020), Bmj, 370
Mental Elf bloG
I blog regularly for the National Elf Service, mainly about dementia research
Online learning modules
I wrote and produced a series of open access online modules for the public to explain health research in an engaging and entertaining way. These were created as part of a public engagement project (The ALOIS Community Project) for the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group.
EQUATOR "goodreports" web tool
A free online tool to help authors identify and use the appropriate reporting guideline for their work