What a reporting guideline is and why a writer uses one
A reporting guideline identifies the information needed to describe research clearly and completely. It helps writers report methods and findings consistently so readers can assess the study, while leaving room for manuscript-specific judgement and journal requirements.
Minimum information and expert consensus
Reporting guidelines advise how to report research methods and findings, specify minimum required items and discuss issues that may bias reporting. They help authors understand a study's strengths and limitations and the implications of its results for clinical practice. Guidelines are based on available evidence and largely reflect consensus among experts in editing, publishing, medicine, statistics, health outcomes and the relevant subject. Development is complex and can take years.
Editors drove guideline development because they wanted objective tools that reviewers and editors could use to simplify article revision. Clinical research and statistical analyses have their own standards; writing communicates work conducted under them, providing a rationale for good writing practices. A comprehensive guideline can go beyond a checklist: CONSORT combines structured guidance with practical examples and explanations of how to communicate randomised-trial results.
Practical benefits for manuscripts
Guidelines assembled by journal editors and other experts aim to support a uniform level of manuscript quality and ethics. A good set can serve as a checklist for organising, writing, formatting and submitting a manuscript; many include checklists. They can answer questions, help avoid pitfalls and align a manuscript with standard practice, reducing rejection risk and saving time. Following guidelines can also improve the chances that results are included in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
All manuscript writers should be aware of and use relevant guidelines to help produce complete, accurate manuscripts that are more likely to be accepted and read. Researchers may lack formal writing training or awareness of reporting guidance, affecting manuscript quality. Incomplete reporting, including selective positive outcomes and inadequate adverse-event reporting, may misinform readers about treatment benefits and risks; lack of guideline awareness or use and inadequate research-writing knowledge are possible contributing factors.
Judgement and journal requirements
Guidelines are not laws and often need adaptation to a manuscript's particular needs; an individual recommendation may seem irrelevant, yet guidance can still reduce problems and writing time. Following a guideline does not replace the journal's submission instructions: authors should read those on the journal website and finalise the article accordingly.
Reporting standards were derived from principles of good research and analysis to ensure that articles contain the information necessary for critical appraisal; they were not developed as tools for critically appraising already published literature.