Open AccessReporting practices of dropouts in psychological research using a wait‐list control: current state and suggestions for improvement
Author(s) -
Cisler Josh M.,
Barnes Aaron C.,
Farnsworth Donald,
Sifers Sarah K.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
international journal of methods in psychiatric research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.275
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1557-0657
pISSN - 1049-8931
DOI - 10.1002/mpr.201
Subject(s) - psychology , control (management) , psychological research , research design , applied psychology , clinical psychology , social psychology , computer science , social science , sociology , artificial intelligence
Reporting practices regarding dropouts in wait‐list control studies hold great importance for the ability to replicate, generalize, and draw conclusions from research. This concern is applicable to all psychological research utilizing wait‐list controls, regardless of purpose of research (e.g., treatment outcome). The current study assessed the present state of reporting practices in this type of experimental design and discussed the limitations and implications of the insufficient reporting found. 171 articles from psychology journals utilizing wait‐list control design were surveyed regarding the reporting of the number of dropouts from the wait‐list control and experimental conditions, characteristics and assessment scores of the dropouts, and total dropouts. Variables that are crucial to interpreting research findings are not consistently reported. Additionally, journal impact factor and year of publication were positively correlated with the adequacy of reporting. Consistencies with previous findings were noted, and suggestions for remedying the reporting inadequacies were discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.