The Royal Statistical Society welcomes the initative taken by PSI in issuing a proposal 'best practice for statisticians in the reporting and publication of pharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical trials,'¹ and endorses the recommendations. The RSS also considers that many of the recommendations will be appropriate for medical statisticians more widely to consider and not just those employed with the pharmaceutical industry.
 
1. Matcham, J, Julious, S, Pyke, SD, O'Kelly, M, Todd, S, Seldrup, J, Day, S. Proposed best practice for statisticians in the reporting and publication of pharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical trials, Pharmaceutical Statistics 2011.
 

Royal Statistical Society statement on reporting research

The Royal Statistical Society is committed to transparency in scientific and social research. It considers it to be crucially important that the results of scientific research should be made publicly available and disseminated as widely as is practical in a timely fashion after completion of the scientific investigation provided that there is no conflict with any legislation on confidentiality of data. Where practical, a publication should be linked to a previously identified investigational protocol. In particular, the RSS considers that decisions to publish should not be based on whether research findings are ‘positive’ or ‘negative’.

If commercial or other reasons of confidentiality require that such research should not be placed in the public domain, then this decision should be taken and documented at the time the research is undertaken, and explained to and agreed by all who are involved in the research whether as investigators, participants or funders. The decision whether or not such information should be placed in the public domain should not be based on the results unless such a decision is taken by a third neutral party explicitly appointed for that purpose.

Adopted by the Council of the Royal Statistical Society, 30 June 2011