Types of article published in physiotherapy journals: a quantitative analysis.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to quantify and assess the types of research and review articles published in physiotherapy professional journals with international circulations.


METHODS
Selected articles from nine physiotherapy journals in a period of five years were classified according to their study design.


RESULTS
A total number of 1627 articles were included in this study of which 205 (12.60%) were randomized controlled trial (RCT). Articles published with the highest frequency were 'observational/descriptive studies' (n = 305, 18.75%), whereas 'meta-analyses' were the rarest ones (n = 21, 1.29%). Many articles were validation studies (n = 216, 13.28%) and articles classified as 'others' (n = 217, 13.34%). High heterogeneity was found in terms of distribution over years and journals with an improvement of the number of RCTs among years.


CONCLUSIONS
The distribution of different types of article in physiotherapy journals is similar to other disciplines. The improvement of RCTs represents an important move in the right direction for evidence-based physiotherapy research.
Paci
Matteo
M
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Villa Fiorita Hospital, Prato, Italy. matteo.paci@applicazione.it
Cigna
Claudio
C
Baccini
Marco
M
Rinaldi
Lucio A
LA
D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D006801:Humans; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D026761:Physical Therapy Specialty; D011643:Publishing / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000639:trends