Instructions to authors to put research in context by the editors of the medical journal The Lancet

Systematic Review

This section should include a description of how authors searched for all the evidence. Authors should also say how they assessed the quality of that evidence – ie, how they selected and how they combined the evidence.

Interpretation

Authors should state here what their study adds to the totality of evidence when their study is added to previous work.

‘We ask that all research reports – randomised or not – submitted from Aug 1 . . . put the results into the context of the totality of evidence in the Discussion.’

Clark S, Horton R. Putting research in context – revisited. Lancet 2010;376:10-11.

Read more in Reports of new research should begin and end with systematic reviews.