title: Describing reporting guidelines for health research: a systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the process of development, content, and methods of implementation of reporting guidelines for health research.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review of publications describing health research reporting guidelines developed using consensus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-one reporting guidelines for health research were included in the review. The largest number of guidelines do not focus on a specific study type (n=35; 43%), whereas those that do primarily refer to reporting of randomized controlled trials (n=16; 35%). Most of the guidelines (n=76; 94%) include a checklist of recommended reporting items, with a median of 21 checklist items (range: 5-64 items). Forty-seven (58%) reporting guidelines were classified as new guidance. Explanation documents were developed for 11 (14%) reporting guidelines. Reporting-guideline developers provided little information about the guideline development process. Developers of 50 (62%) reporting guidelines encouraged endorsement, most commonly by including guidelines in journal instructions to authors (n=18; 36%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reporting-guideline developers need to endeavor to maximize the quality of their product. Recently developed guidance is likely to facilitate more robust guideline development. Journal editors can be more confident in endorsing reporting guidelines that have followed these approaches.
authors.affiliation: Ottawa Methods Centre, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. dmoher@ohri.ca
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moher
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weeks
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ocampo
authors.forename: Dugald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Seely
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.forename: Douglas G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Altman
authors.forename: Kenneth F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Iveta
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Simera
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grimshaw
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hoey
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D032921:Consensus; D017408:Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D017712:Peer Review, Research; D011643:Publishing / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*