STandards for developing REseArch Methods guidance in trials: STREAM

Health researchers rely on methods guidance to make decisions about study design, data collection, analysis, reporting, and interpretation. Yet important questions remain about how to develop guidance that reflects methodological evidence and meets researchers’ needs.

STREAM develops practical recommendations for creating trustworthy and useful methods guidance. It addresses how developers can involve relevant people, select and use methodological evidence, formulate recommendations, and present guidance that researchers can understand and apply.

The project combines reviews of existing recommendations and current guidance development practices with interviews with guidance users. An international panel will use these findings to draft STREAM. Guidance developers will then test the recommendations in ongoing projects and provide feedback to refine them.

Stefan Schandelmaier leads STREAM at the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, working with Malena Chiaborelli, Matthias Briel, and international collaborators.

The Swiss National Science Foundation supports the project through an Ambizione grant.

Project website: stream.methods-research.org