What should I do if I disagree with a rating on speechBITE™?

If you disagree with a rating of a particular trial on speechBITE™, you can contact us. Please specify the authors, title and source of the trial along with your reason for why you think the trial has been incorrectly rated. It is helpful if you can specify the location in the article (page and paragraph) where the supporting information can be found. All disputed ratings will be reviewed, however we may not respond individually to people disputing ratings.

What should I do if I know of a trial not on speechBITE™?

If you know of a trial or study that you think should be included on speechBITE™ please first check that if meets the selection criteria for inclusion. If it does, email us with the reference details (authors, date, title, and journal). If you are an author and you think you have published a paper that should be included in speechBITE™ paper then please contact us.

What should I do if I find an indexing error?

On speechBITE™ each paper is indexed according to its 7 domains which are:

  1. Target Area
  2. Intervention Type
  3. Client sub-group
  4. Age group
  5. Method
  6. Service delivery mode
  7. Language

If you believe that a treatment study has been indexed incorrectly please let us know. Contact us and cut and paste the record from the "search results" into the message. Please identify the type of indexing error e.g incorrect categorisation of service delivery used and give a justification. We will review the indexing of the identified paper and make any adjustments on speechBITE™ as is warranted.

Why aren't the abstracts of all the studies displayed?

Copyright permission is required to publish the abstracts on speechBITE™. If an abstract is not available then either copyright permission is pending or it has been declined.

How can I contact speechBITE™?

You can contact speechBITE™ here.

Can I become a rater for speechBITE™?

Yes, we would be very grateful for your assistance! Following some initial training, you can rate trials and studies in the areas that interest you. If you would like to become a member of our rater's network you can contact us.

How come my search identifies no or very few trials?

If your search does not identify any papers then there may be no papers that meet the inclusion criteria for speechBITE™ in the areas you are searching.

Another reason is that speechBITE™ is still in the early stage of development and therefore the number of trials on speechBITE™ is limited at this stage. However this number will increase over time as we identify more trials that meet the inclusion criteria and upload them into speechBITE™. New trials will be continually identified and added to speechBITE™.

How come some papers don't have ratings?

speechBITE™ was developed late in 2007, hence it is still in the early stage of development. We have not as yet been able to rate all of the trials included on speechBITE™ . Ratings will be continually added to trials over the next few years. Please note that only three types of papers are rated, randomised control trials, non-randomised control trials and single case designs.

Case series are no longer rated and systematic reviews are not rated for quality.

How do I access the full journal papers listed on speechBITE™?

speechBITE™ does not provide a direct link to full journal papers. You need to note the papers that you wish to read and then either visit your local academic library and find the appropriate journal or access the on-line journal via your academic library website. Some professional associations and organisations provide access to on-line journals for members and staff. For example, members of Speech Pathology Australia have free online access to the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Members of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association have on-line access to the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools and the American Journal of Audiology.

How do I become a sponsor of speechBITE™?

speechBITE™ needs sponsorship to continue to be able to provide free access anywhere in the world to speech pathologists and communication specialists. We also need sponsorship to help us continue to find and rate past and future research trials. Sponsorship of speechBITE™ will promote the use of evidence based practice by health professionals and in doing so assist the well being of all those with communication difficulties. If you would like to sponsor the activities of speechBITE™ please contact us. We would love to hear from you!