SWAT/SWAR Information

Studies Within a Trial (SWAT) and Studies Within a Review (SWAR)

The SWAT and SWAR programme is identifying methods for trials and systematic reviews about which there is sufficient uncertainty to justify research to support well-informed decision making about designs and choices. It is being developed by the Northern Ireland Network for Trials Methodology Research in collaboration with the Medical Research Council's Network of Hubs for Trials Methodology Research in the UK (HTMR Network), the Health Research Board's Trials Methodology Research Network in Ireland (HRB-TMRN), and others. The initial development of the SWAT collection was supported by a grant from the HTMR Network (MR/L004933/1-R50). The programme provides a library of these methodology studies and a repository for people using the designs to log their study and deposit their findings, to contribute to meta-analyses of the individual SWAT or SWAR.

These pages include a SWAT and SWAR application section for application submissions to Northern Ireland Network staff. All Studies Within a Trial (SWAT) applications can be made via the SWAT application page and all Studies Within a Review (SWAR) via the SWAR application page. Once reviewed and accepted, a PDF of the SWAT or SWAR will be added to the repository section and made available for everyone to view, free of charge. Edits or updates to an existing SWAT or SWAR can also be suggested via the application section.

The SWAT repository collates the accepted SWAT outlines likewise the SWAR repository collates the accepted SWAR outlines. Within each repository links can be found to a PDF for each SWAT or SWAR, showing the application ID, Title, Author and Submission Date.