Reporting Methodological Items in Randomized Experiments in Political Science

Abstract

This article discusses the arguments for using the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) procedures in political science field experiments, with the aim of improving the clarity and transparency of research work and reducing the possibility of bias. The article reviews the background to CONSORT, which is increasingly required for carrying out and reporting trials in healthcare and other disciplines. It sets out the main elements of the scheme and then applies its criteria to evaluate a published Get Out the Vote (GOTV) study by John and Brannan (2008). The CONSORT checklist shows the methods in this article to be clear and transparent but that CONSORT could improve the reporting of turnout experiments, such as details of the numbers going through the trial at each stage. The article argues that applying CONSORT to reports of trials in political science journals is a feasible and desirable objective.