Paper of the year 2008: results

摘要

On Dec 19, The Lancet posted the papers of the six finalists for paper of the year 2008 on our website and published Profiles from each research team. After 25 days of voting, during which 21556 votes (each from a unique IP address) were cast, three papers have proved clear favourites with readers (panel). Among these, the editors' choice was Werner Hacke and colleagues' study of alteplase for ischaemic stroke and the people's choice was the PEACE study of carbocisteine in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by Nan-Shan Zhong and associates.What do these results tell us about research and readers in 2008? First, well-designed, imaginative studies that have the ability to change practice and benefit large populations are highly valued by the medical community. Such trials deserve the support of collaborators, funders, and journals, and should be the benchmark for future investigations.