 EditorialThe Importance of the Discourse on the MethodBenedetto Vitiello  Child and Adolescent Treatment and Preventive Intervention Research Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA  author email corresponding author email
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2010,
4:2doi:10.1186/1753-2000-4-2
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| Published: |
7 January 2010 |
First paragraph (this article has no abstract)
Central to the research enterprise is the application of scientific methods appropriate to achieving the investigational aims. In the case of controlled clinical trials, assay sensitivity is achieved through careful selection of study sample, design, and assessment instruments. Treatments and controls must be precisely defined and quantified. Concomitant interventions need to be specified and delimited. The actual implementation of the protocol requires procedures for ensuring fidelity, consistency, and reproducibility. Typically, a clinical trial protocol is the result of contributions from experts in clinical care, experimental methodology, bioethics, statistics, and data management. | 
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