'Now might I do it pat' Hamlet Act iii, Scene iii
This tool aims to ensure that scientific articles contain all the required information, expressed clearly and consistently and linked together and structured in a way that maximises usefulness.
Authors register their details, including statements of competing interest, once and this information is automatically imported into all papers written using the system.
Information is provided in response to specific questions about the study being reported and used to build a draft of the paper that covers all the information that journals and readers require. The Word file that is produced can be previewed and exported for further editing.
Equally importantly, the computer record of the paper is stored on a database that can be used for searching and evidence synthesis. In time this database will permit full text searching of research reports so that systematic reviews can find and collate research reports based on literally any aspect of the paper.
The first version of the tool has been designed to capture 2-arm randomised controlled trials but it is built around 'wizards', many of which are relevant to any type of research study.
Addiction PAT is about the enter beta testing and will improve continually in response to user feedback. If you have any comments please email robertwest100@gmail.com