There is no reliable evidence that providing authors with customized article templates including items from reporting guidelines improves completeness of reporting: the GoodReports randomized trial (GRReaT)

As the dropout rate was higher than expected, we did not reach the recruitment target, and the difference between groups was not statistically significant. We therefore found no evidence that providing authors with customized article templates including items from reporting guidelines, increases reporting completeness. We discuss the challenges faced when conducting the trial and suggest how future research testing innovative ways of improving reporting could be designed to improve recruitment and reduce dropouts.