title: Standards for Reporting Implementation Studies (StaRI): explanation and elaboration document.
abstract: Implementation studies are often poorly reported and indexed, reducing their potential to inform the provision of healthcare services. The Standards for Reporting Implementation Studies (StaRI) initiative aims to develop guidelines for transparent and accurate reporting of implementation studies.
  
  
  
  An international working group developed the StaRI guideline informed by a systematic literature review and e-Delphi prioritisation exercise. Following a face-to-face meeting, the checklist was developed iteratively by email discussion and critical review by international experts.
  
  
  
  The 27 items of the checklist are applicable to the broad range of study designs employed in implementation science. A key concept is the dual strands, represented as 2 columns in the checklist, describing, on the one hand, the implementation strategy and, on the other, the clinical, healthcare or public health intervention being implemented. This explanation and elaboration document details each of the items, explains the rationale and provides examples of good reporting practice.
  
  
  
  Previously published reporting statements have been instrumental in improving reporting standards; adoption by journals and authors may achieve a similar improvement in the reporting of implementation strategies that will facilitate translation of effective interventions into routine practice.
authors.affiliation: Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pinnock
authors.affiliation: Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Psychiatry and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barwick
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, St Louis, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.affiliation: Pragmatic Clinical Trials Unit, Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eldridge
authors.affiliation: Primary Care Research Unit of Bizkaia, Basque Health Service, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grandes
authors.affiliation: Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Chris J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.affiliation: Bangor Institute for Health and Medical Research, Bangor University, Bangor, UK.
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rycroft-Malone
authors.affiliation: Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meissner
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.affiliation: Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Stephanie J C
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D057189:Checklist; D003697:Delphi Technique; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D012107:Research Design; D058028:Research Report / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Dissemination and implementation research; EQUATOR Network; Implementation Science; Organisational innovation; Reporting standards