All reporting guidelines
Check your manuscript against STROBE.
- Guideline
- STROBE 2007
- Items
- 22
- Criteria
- 34
- Sections
- 6
- Applies to
- observational study
Cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies. Several items ask you to answer differently depending on which of the three you ran.
Requested by most epidemiology and general medical journals for observational research and endorsed by the ICMJE.
STROBE 2007 · Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology
What comes back34 criteria
Showing all 34 criteria.
Title and abstract
- Title and abstract1aTitle and abstract1aIndicate the study's design with a commonly used term in the title or the abstract
- 1b1bProvide in the abstract an informative and balanced summary of what was done and what was found
Introduction
- Background/rationale2Background/rationale2Explain the scientific background and rationale for the investigation being reported
- Objectives3Objectives3State specific objectives, including any prespecified hypotheses
Methods
- Study design4Study design4Present key elements of study design early in the paper
- Setting5Setting5Describe the setting, locations, and relevant dates, including periods of recruitment, exposure, follow-up, and data collection
- Participants6aParticipants6aCohort study: give the eligibility criteria, and the sources and methods of selection of participants; describe methods of follow-up. Case-control study: give the eligibility criteria, and the sources and methods of case ascertainment and control selection; give the rationale for the choice of cases and controls. Cross-sectional study: give the eligibility criteria, and the sources and methods of selection of participants
- 6b6bCohort study: for matched studies, give matching criteria and number of exposed and unexposed. Case-control study: for matched studies, give matching criteria and the number of controls per case
- Variables7Variables7Clearly define all outcomes, exposures, predictors, potential confounders, and effect modifiers. Give diagnostic criteria, if applicable
- Data sources/measurement8Data sources/measurement8For each variable of interest, give sources of data and details of methods of assessment (measurement). Describe comparability of assessment methods if there is more than one group
- Bias9Bias9Describe any efforts to address potential sources of bias
- Study size10Study size10Explain how the study size was arrived at
- Quantitative variables11Quantitative variables11Explain how quantitative variables were handled in the analyses. If applicable, describe which groupings were chosen and why
- Statistical methods12aStatistical methods12aDescribe all statistical methods, including those used to control for confounding
- 12b12bDescribe any methods used to examine subgroups and interactions
- 12c12cExplain how missing data were addressed
- 12d12dCohort study: if applicable, explain how loss to follow-up was addressed. Case-control study: if applicable, explain how matching of cases and controls was addressed. Cross-sectional study: if applicable, describe analytical methods taking account of sampling strategy
- 12e12eDescribe any sensitivity analyses
Results
- Participants13aParticipants13aReport numbers of individuals at each stage of study, e.g. numbers potentially eligible, examined for eligibility, confirmed eligible, included in the study, completing follow-up, and analysed
- 13b13bGive reasons for non-participation at each stage
- 13c13cConsider use of a flow diagram
- Descriptive data14aDescriptive data14aGive characteristics of study participants (e.g. demographic, clinical, social) and information on exposures and potential confounders
- 14b14bIndicate number of participants with missing data for each variable of interest
- 14c14cCohort study: summarise follow-up time (e.g. average and total amount)
- Outcome data15Outcome data15Cohort study: report numbers of outcome events or summary measures over time. Case-control study: report numbers in each exposure category, or summary measures of exposure. Cross-sectional study: report numbers of outcome events or summary measures
- Main results16aMain results16aGive unadjusted estimates and, if applicable, confounder-adjusted estimates and their precision (e.g. 95% confidence interval). Make clear which confounders were adjusted for and why they were included
- 16b16bReport category boundaries when continuous variables were categorized
- 16c16cIf relevant, consider translating estimates of relative risk into absolute risk for a meaningful time period
- Other analyses17Other analyses17Report other analyses done, e.g. analyses of subgroups and interactions, and sensitivity analyses
Discussion
- Key results18Key results18Summarise key results with reference to study objectives
- Limitations19Limitations19Discuss limitations of the study, taking into account sources of potential bias or imprecision. Discuss both direction and magnitude of any potential bias
- Interpretation20Interpretation20Give a cautious overall interpretation of results considering objectives, limitations, multiplicity of analyses, results from similar studies, and other relevant evidence
- Generalisability21Generalisability21Discuss the generalisability (external validity) of the study results
Other information
- Funding22Funding22Give the source of funding and the role of the funders for the present study and, if applicable, for the original study on which the present article is based
STROBE 2007 checklist items reproduced from the published guideline. von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gøtzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP; STROBE Initiative. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. Free to use and reproduce, per the STROBE Initiative.
What comes back
See one item in fullThe same form, marked against your own manuscript.
The sample above is an illustration. On your manuscript, all 34 criteria come back marked, and the ones that fall short raise a mark in the margin of the paper itself.
- Met, partly met, not met or not applicable, for every item
- Each item highlighted in your text, ready to amend
- What is missing, how to fix it, and where in the paper it belongs
- The whole form, downloadable as a marked spreadsheet
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