Writing Guides, Style Manuals and the Publication Process in the Health Sciences

CONSORT: Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials

[Note: the CONSORT webpage is currently undergoing revision]

The main product of CONSORT is the CONSORT Statement, which is an evidence-based, minimum set of recommendations for reporting randomized trials. It offers a standard way for authors to prepare reports of trial findings, facilitating their complete and transparent reporting, and aiding their critical appraisal and interpretation.

The CONSORT Statement comprises a 25-item checklist and a flow diagram. The checklist items focus on reporting how the trial was designed, analyzed, and interpreted; the flow diagram displays the progress of all participants through the trial. The CONSORT "Explanation and Elaboration" document explains and illustrates the principles underlying the CONSORT Statement. We strongly recommend that it is used in conjunction with the CONSORT Statement. In addition, extensions of the CONSORT Statement have been developed to give additional guidance for RCTs with specific designs, data and interventions.

• CHEERS: Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards
  • The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement is an attempt to consolidate and update previous health economic evaluation guidelines efforts into one current, useful reporting guidance.
• MOOSE Checklist
  • Meta-analysis of Observational Studies (MOOSE)
    • MOOSE Guidelines
• The PRISMA Statement: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
  • The aim of the PRISMA Statement is to help authors report a wide array of systematic reviews to assess the benefits and harms of a health care intervention. PRISMA focuses on ways in which authors can ensure the transparent and complete reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

  • The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews

• SQUIRE: Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence
  • SQUIRE stands for Standards for QUality Improvement Reporting Excellence. The SQUIRE guidelines provide a framework for reporting new knowledge about how to improve healthcare. They are intended for reports that describe system level work to improve the quality, safety, and value of healthcare.
• STARD Initiative
  • Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD)
• STROBE
  • "STROBE stands for an international, collaborative initiative of epidemiologists, methodologists, statisticians, researchers and editors involved in the conduct and dissemination of observational studies, with the common aim of STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology."

SAMPL Guidelines for Statistics Reports

The SAMPL guidelines are a useful succinct tool for authors of biomedical research papers, journal editors and peer reviewers and provide guiding principles for reporting statistical methods and results. SAMPL stands for Statistical Analyses and Methods in the Published Literature.