title: Guidelines for the Reporting of Treatment Trials for Alcohol Use Disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The primary goals in conducting clinical trials of treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are to identify efficacious treatments and determine which treatments are most efficacious for which patients. Accurate reporting of study design features and results is imperative to enable readers of research reports to evaluate to what extent a study has achieved these goals. Guidance on quality of clinical trial reporting has evolved substantially over the past 2 decades, primarily through the publication and widespread adoption of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement. However, there is room to improve the adoption of those standards in reporting the design and findings of treatment trials for AUD.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper provides a narrative review of guidance on reporting quality in AUD treatment trials.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite improvements in the reporting of results of treatment trials for AUD over the past 2 decades, many published reports provide insufficient information on design or methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reporting of alcohol treatment trial design, analysis, and results requires improvement in 4 primary areas: (i) trial registration, (ii) procedures for recruitment and retention, (iii) procedures for randomization and intervention design considerations, and (iv) statistical methods used to assess treatment efficacy. Improvements in these areas and the adoption of reporting standards by authors, reviewers, and editors are critical to an accurate assessment of the reliability and validity of treatment effects. Continued developments in this area are needed to move AUD treatment research forward via systematic reviews and meta-analyses that maximize the utility of completed studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.|Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Witkiewitz
authors.affiliation: Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Finney
authors.affiliation: Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California.|VA Substance Use Disorder Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California.
authors.forename: Alex H S
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Veterans Health Administration, Washington, District of Columbia.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Kivlahan
authors.affiliation: Center for Studies of Addiction, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.|VISN4 MIRECC, Philadelphia VAMC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Henry R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kranzler
mesh_terms: D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D058028:Research Report / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Alcohol Clinical Trials; Alcohol Use Disorder; CONSORT; Eligibility Criteria; Multisite Studies