BioMed Central Blog
Optimal design for questionnaires in clinical trials: science or art?
Questionnaires are a valuable tool for gathering outcome data from patients enrolled in clinical trials. In a review published this week in Trials Dr Phil Edwards considers recent developments in the field of questionnaire design that may help investigators minimize bias, improve data completeness and maximize precision in estimating the effect of treatments.
Review 
Questionnaires in clinical trials: guidelines for optimal design and administration
Phil Edwards
Trials 2010, 11:2 (11 January 2010)
[Abstract] [Provisional PDF]
Investigators often rely upon principles of questionnaire development that are based predominately on expert opinion rather than empirical evidence. In this review, Edwards discusses how the growing body of evidence on questionnaire design can be applied to the successful use of questionnaires in clinical practice and whether further research can make questionnaire design less of an art, and more of a science.
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Silence launches with BioMed Central
Silence, a new open access journal covering all aspects of genetic and epigenetic control mediated by RNA, has launched with Phil Zamore and David Baulcombe as Editors-in-Chief. Silence is supported by an outstanding international Editorial Board.
The first articles published in Silence today cover a range of RNA regulatory areas. Mueller et al describe the Solution structure of the Drosha double-stranded RNA-binding domain, while Dr Parker reviews the role of argonaute as a key component in RNA slicing, particularly in light of recent work by Patel et al.
Silence aims to become the journal for the RNA silencing and non-coding RNA community, bringing together researchers working on all model organisms, and from both academia and industry.
If you are interested in RNA silencing, please visit the journal homepage to read our latest articles and submit work of your own. If you would like to receive regular emails detailing the most recently published articles please register for email alerts. We will also be highlighting interesting findings and news on the journal blog site; please sign up for RSS feeds to stay abreast of the latest news in this field.
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