Reporting guidelines aim to improve the accuracy, completeness and transparency of health and medical research publications (box 1). Typically developed using explicit methods (eg, Delphi study and consensus meeting),7 a reporting guideline is a simple, structured tool (usually a checklist) or explicit text that guides researchers in reporting a specific type of research. Most reporting guidelines specify the minimum information (in the format of ‘reporting items’) to be included for a particular research study type, allowing readers to get a complete and transparent account of what was done and what was found during a research study. Table 1 presents relevant reporting guidelines and extensions available for the main study designs.

What: A checklist, flow diagram or explicit text developed …