Reporting practice
Choose a reporting guideline before the manuscript is finished
Reporting guidance is most useful when it shapes what is documented during the study, not when it is treated as a final checklist.
Match guidance to the design
Identify the study design and search an authoritative reporting-guideline directory for the current guidance and relevant extensions. The article label alone is not enough: a cohort, diagnostic-accuracy study, systematic review and clinical trial require different information.
If more than one guideline is relevant, state which one governs the principal design and which extension addresses a population, intervention, data type or analytic method.
Use the checklist as a map
Create a working column for each required item and note where the information appears in the manuscript, protocol, supplement or repository. Items that are not applicable should be explained rather than silently omitted.
Reporting guidance does not repair a weak design and does not guarantee acceptance. It helps readers judge what was planned, done, found and interpreted.
Submit a verifiable record
Use the version requested by the chosen journal and keep the completed checklist with the submission files. Confirm that page or section references still match after revision.
When a reviewer identifies missing information, respond by adding the information, explaining why it cannot be supplied or clarifying why the item does not apply.
Practical checklist
Practical checklist
- Study design named precisely
- Current guideline and extensions identified
- Every item mapped to a manuscript location
- Non-applicable items explained
- Checklist rechecked after revision
- Journal-specific requirements also completed
Official readings
Official readings
These independent resources support the subject of this practice note. Linking them does not imply membership, endorsement or certification of ISAIS.