title: Reporting guidelines and the American Journal of Public Health's adoption of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses.
abstract: Widespread recognition of the need to improve the science of published research, as well as the moral and ethical reasons for adequately reporting study results, has spurred recent interest in strengthening journal research reporting through the use of reporting guidelines. Reporting guidelines also provide information for readers to judge study quality.  American Journal of Public Health previously adopted the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials and Transparent Reporting of Evaluations With Nonrandomized Designs guidelines and recently endorsed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.  In adopting these guidelines, the journal aims to support authors, reviewers, and editors in reporting and evaluating systematic reviews of public health policy and practice priorities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Health, Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health, College Station, TX, USA. kmcleroy@srph.tamhsc.edu
authors.forename: Kenneth R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: McLeroy
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Northridge
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Balcazar
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Stewart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Landers
mesh_terms: D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000592:standards; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D011634:Public Health / Q000592:standards; D012106:Research / Q000592:standards; D012196:Review Literature as Topic