title: Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): explanation and elaboration.
abstract: Much medical research is observational. The reporting of observational studies is often of insufficient quality. Poor reporting hampers the assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a study and the generalisability of its results. Taking into account empirical evidence and theoretical considerations, a group of methodologists, researchers, and editors developed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) recommendations to improve the quality of reporting of observational studies. The STROBE Statement consists of a checklist of 22 items, which relate to the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion sections of articles. Eighteen items are common to cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies and four are specific to each of the three study designs. The STROBE Statement provides guidance to authors about how to improve the reporting of observational studies and facilitates critical appraisal and interpretation of studies by reviewers, journal editors and readers. This explanatory and elaboration document is intended to enhance the use, understanding, and dissemination of the STROBE Statement. The meaning and rationale for each checklist item are presented. For each item, one or several published examples and, where possible, references to relevant empirical studies and methodological literature are provided. Examples of useful flow diagrams are also included. The STROBE Statement, this document, and the associated Web site (http://www.strobe-statement.org/) should be helpful resources to improve reporting of observational research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Vandenbroucke
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, IUMSP - Institut universitaire de médecine sociale et préventive, Biopôle 2, Route de la Corniche 10, CH-1010 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Medical Biometry and Medical Informatics, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: von Elm
authors.affiliation: Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Douglas G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Altman
authors.affiliation: Nordic Cochrane Centre, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Gøtzsche
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, United States.
authors.forename: Cynthia D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Mulrow
authors.affiliation: Medical Statistics Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Stuart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pocock
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, United States.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Poole
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, United States.
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Schlesselman
authors.affiliation: Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research (CIDER), University of Cape Town, South Africa; Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: strobe@ispm.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Egger
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D057189:Checklist; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic; D011643:Publishing / Q000592:standards; D012107:Research Design; D058028:Research Report / Q000592:standards*