Choose a Reporting Guideline Before You Draft

Match the report to its design

A reporting guideline helps readers understand what was done. It is useful during planning as a reminder of information that will later need reporting, but completing it does not repair a flawed study or certify quality.

Start with the design and the document you are writing. A protocol and a completed-study report have different needs. The Reporting Guideline Finder offers a starting point and links to official sources.

Use the official source

Common starting points include CONSORT for randomized trial reports, STROBE for cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies, and PRISMA for systematic reviews. Search EQUATOR’s guideline library for other designs and applicable extensions. Check the version and your journal’s instructions before submission.

For observational studies, select the design-specific STROBE checklist. For reviews, consult the PRISMA 2020 statement and explanatory materials, rather than relying only on a flow diagram.

Build a location map

For each applicable item, record the manuscript section, page, table, or supplement that addresses it. If an item is not applicable, provide a specific reason. If required information is unavailable, state that limitation honestly; do not create a retrospective description of procedures that never occurred.

For example, if the report needs an explanation of study size, locate the actual rationale or calculation. If the sample was all eligible records during a fixed period, say so and discuss the implications. Do not invent a prospective power calculation.

Check after the final revision

Page numbers and table labels change during editing. Reconcile the checklist with the final submission files, including supplements. Keep a copy of the completed version with the manuscript so later revisions remain traceable.

Download the reporting checklist map to record locations, outstanding information, and responsibility for each item.