Method outline for identifying and analysing articles citing surgical randomised controlled trials (RCTs)
| Step | Action |
| 1 | Purposefully select major surgical RCTs reported in the last 10 years. |
| 2 | Identify and systematically sample the articles citing the selected RCTs. |
| 3 | Undertake in-depth qualitative analysis and identify emerging themes. |
| 4 | Summarise validity and reporting of included RCTs. |
| 5 | Combine the results of steps 3 and 4 to develop deeper understanding of how trials are understood and the relationship with trial quality. |
| 6 | Develop and refine the methodology. |
| 7 | Create recommendations to inform future design, conduct, reporting and implementation of surgical RCTs. |