Open access, readership, citations: a randomized controlled trial of scientific journal publishing

Background. Effective internet-based programs for depression usually incorporate a component that provides telephone or email contact. Open access websites, without such contact, show high rates of attrition and poorer outcomes. The present study was designed as an exploratory investigation of the parameters that influence the effectiveness and retention of users on open access websites. We investigated whether brief cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) was as effective as an extended version, whether add-on components of behaviour therapy or stress management contributed to positive outcomes, and whether longer programs were associated with greater attrition.Method. An online randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted between 13 January 2005 and 26 May 2005 (19 weeks). A total of 2794 registrants (1846 women and 948 men; median age category 35–44 years) with elevated scores on the Goldberg Depression Scale of 5·96 (S.D.=2·09) elected online to be randomized to one of six versions of a CBT website. The versions were compiled consisting of various components of brief CBT, extended CBT, behaviour strategies, stress management and problem solving.Results. A total of 20·4% of participants completed the assigned intervention. The interaction of measurement occasion and treatment version was significant [F(13,131)=2·20, p=0·01]. A single module of brief introductory CBT was not effective in reducing depression symptoms. However, extended CBT with or without the addition of behaviour strategies resulted in the reduction of depression.Conclusions. Brief CBT-based interventions are not as effective as extended interventions. However, longer programs are associated with higher rates of dropout.

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Randomized Controlled Trial of a Mailed Brochure to Increase Adherence to Open Access Screening Colonoscopy

Gastrointestinal Endoscopy ◽

10.1016/j.gie.2006.03.480 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 63 (5) ◽

pp. AB201 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John M. Coombes ◽

Thomas D. Denberg ◽

Trisha V. Melhado ◽

Dennis J. Ahnen

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Open Access ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Screening Colonoscopy ◽

Randomized Controlled

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Usage and Effectiveness of a Fully Automated, Open-Access, Spanish Web-Based Smoking Cessation Program: Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/jmir.3091 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e111 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Guillermo Mañanes ◽

Miguel A Vallejo

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Smoking Cessation ◽

Open Access ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Smoking Cessation Program ◽

Web Based ◽

Randomized Controlled

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Treatment Fidelity Procedures for an Aphasia Intervention Within a Randomized Controlled Trial: Design, Feasibility, and Results

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2019_ajslp-cac48-18-0227 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (1S) ◽

pp. 412-424

Author(s):

Elissa L. Conlon ◽

Emily J. Braun ◽

Edna M. Babbitt ◽

Leora R. Cherney

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Treatment Protocol ◽

Treatment Fidelity ◽

Protocol Adherence ◽

Study Condition ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Aphasia Therapy ◽

Percent Accuracy ◽

Over Time

Purpose This study reports on the treatment fidelity procedures implemented during a 5-year randomized controlled trial comparing intensive and distributed comprehensive aphasia therapy. Specifically, the results of 1 treatment, verb network strengthening treatment (VNeST), are examined. Method Eight participants were recruited for each of 7 consecutive cohorts for a total of 56 participants. Participants completed 60 hr of aphasia therapy, including 15 hr of VNeST. Two experienced speech-language pathologists delivered the treatment. To promote treatment fidelity, the study team developed a detailed manual of procedures and fidelity checklists, completed role plays to standardize treatment administration, and video-recorded all treatment sessions for review. To assess protocol adherence during treatment delivery, trained research assistants not involved in the treatment reviewed video recordings of a subset of randomly selected VNeST treatment sessions and completed the fidelity checklists. This process was completed for 32 participants representing 2 early cohorts and 2 later cohorts, which allowed for measurement of protocol adherence over time. Percent accuracy of protocol adherence was calculated across clinicians, cohorts, and study condition (intensive vs. distributed therapy). Results The fidelity procedures were sufficient to promote and verify a high level of adherence to the treatment protocol across clinicians, cohorts, and study condition. Conclusion Treatment fidelity strategies and monitoring are feasible when incorporated into the study design. Treatment fidelity monitoring should be completed at regular intervals during the course of a study to ensure that high levels of protocol adherence are maintained over time and across conditions.

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Phonomotor Versus Semantic Feature Analysis Treatment for Anomia in 58 Persons With Aphasia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2019_jslhr-l-18-0257 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (12) ◽

pp. 4464-4482 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Diane L. Kendall ◽

Megan Oelke Moldestad ◽

Wesley Allen ◽

Janaki Torrence ◽

Stephen E. Nadeau

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Response Latency ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Semantic Knowledge ◽

Semantic Feature ◽

Feature Analysis ◽

Group Differences ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Confrontation Naming ◽

Semantic Feature Analysis

Purpose The ultimate goal of anomia treatment should be to achieve gains in exemplars trained in the therapy session, as well as generalization to untrained exemplars and contexts. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of phonomotor treatment, a treatment focusing on enhancement of phonological sequence knowledge, against semantic feature analysis (SFA), a lexical-semantic therapy that focuses on enhancement of semantic knowledge and is well known and commonly used to treat anomia in aphasia. Method In a between-groups randomized controlled trial, 58 persons with aphasia characterized by anomia and phonological dysfunction were randomized to receive 56–60 hr of intensively delivered treatment over 6 weeks with testing pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3 months posttreatment termination. Results There was no significant between-groups difference on the primary outcome measure (untrained nouns phonologically and semantically unrelated to each treatment) at 3 months posttreatment. Significant within-group immediately posttreatment acquisition effects for confrontation naming and response latency were observed for both groups. Treatment-specific generalization effects for confrontation naming were observed for both groups immediately and 3 months posttreatment; a significant decrease in response latency was observed at both time points for the SFA group only. Finally, significant within-group differences on the Comprehensive Aphasia Test–Disability Questionnaire ( Swinburn, Porter, & Howard, 2004 ) were observed both immediately and 3 months posttreatment for the SFA group, and significant within-group differences on the Functional Outcome Questionnaire ( Glueckauf et al., 2003 ) were found for both treatment groups 3 months posttreatment. Discussion Our results are consistent with those of prior studies that have shown that SFA treatment and phonomotor treatment generalize to untrained words that share features (semantic or phonological sequence, respectively) with the training set. However, they show that there is no significant generalization to untrained words that do not share semantic features or phonological sequence features.

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