Trial Steering Committee Section
SPIRIT 2025 identifies the trial steering committee as one example of a group involved in trial coordination and conduct and recommends describing each committee’s role, responsibilities, sponsor/funder relationship, membership, and known leadership. Not every trial uses the same governance structure or calls this body a Trial Steering Committee; report the actual arrangement rather than implying that one committee model is universal.
A Trial Steering Committee section explains the committee’s oversight role, responsibilities, relationship to the sponsor or funder, and its membership or leadership when known.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Not every trial uses the same governance structure or calls this body a Trial Steering Committee; report the actual arrangement rather than implying that one committee model is universal.
Further guidance
Content
Describe the committee’s remit, decision authority, relationship to sponsor/funder and other trial groups, broad membership, and named chair or members when known.
Purpose
Make the governance and oversight role of the steering committee transparent to readers of the protocol.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- SPIRIT 2025 explanation and elaboration: updated guideline for protocols of randomised trials (opens in a new tab)BMJ / SPIRIT-CONSORT Group · Primary SPIRIT 2025 explanation and elaboration for trial protocols, including trial monitoring and data monitoring committee roles and reporting structure.