IS METHODOLOGY IN OUR ORIGINAL ARTICLES E SSENTIALLY INFERIOR TO SIMILAR PAPERS PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING JOURNALS

Randomised controlled trials reported in languages other than English are generally excluded from systematic reviews. This exclusion is ofte n based in the biased opinion that the strictness of methodology and t he quality of assessment of the results are essentially inferior to si milar articles reported in English. A study published in 1996 in the L ancet compared completeness of reporting, design characteristics, and analytical approaches of 229 randomised controlled trials published in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish, between 1989 and 1994. E ight of those trials had been published in Revista Medica de Chile. No significant differences were found in any single item analysed, betwe en trials published in English and in other languages. The peer review system applied by a journal and the editorial selection of original a rticles to be published are crucial determinants of the overall qualit y of its publications. The role of local journals that publish in lang uages other than English is most important for the communities they ar e intended to serve and their contribution to disseminating scientific and other important aspects of medicine should be acknowledged and co nsidered by readers, authors and editors in English-speaking countries , especially when these local journals belong to the mainstream litera ture included in the major international indexing services.