Reporting Guidelines

EJMS encourages all the authors to maximize the transparency and reproducibility of their research by using appropriate reporting guidelines while preparing their manuscripts. Our reviewers and editors mostly check the manuscript on the basis of such reporting guidelines during the peer-review processes and editorial screening as well.  So, authors are strongly suggested to adhere to the reporting guidelines as advocated by Equator Network. http://www.equator-network.org/

1. Quantitative research:

Quantitative research is a systematic investigation of phenomena by gathering quantifiable data using sampling methods and performing statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques, hence the results can be depicted in the form of numerical value.

a. Observational Research: It is a qualitative research method where the target respondent/subject is observed and analysed in their natural/real-world setting without intervention. These type of studies can be of three type: cross-sectional, prospective and retrospective studies. All types of observational studies has to be reported as per STROBE (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology) check-list.

b. Clinical Trial (Experimental Research involving Human participants): The World Health Organization defines a clinical trial as "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". In accordance with the Clinical Trial Registration Statement from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMEJ), all clinical trials must be registered in a public trials registry at or before the onset of participant enrolment. To meet the requirements of the ICMJE, and clinical trials must be registered with any Primary Registry in the WHO Registry Network or an ICMJE approved registry.

The clinical trails involves manipulating one variable to determine if changes in one variable cause changes in another variable. This method relies on controlled methods, random assignment and the manipulation of variables to test a hypothesis.

  • Randomized Control Trial (RCT): The CONSORT (CONsolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) guideline is intended to improve the reporting of parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT), enabling readers to understand a trial's design, conduct, analysis and interpretation, and to assess the validity of its results. Clinical trial reports should be compliant with the CONSORT by including a flow diagram presenting the enrolment, intervention allocation, follow-up, and data analysis with number of subjects for each and taking into account the CONSORT Checklist of items to include when reporting a randomized clinical trial. This can only be achieved through complete adherence and transparency by authors. Download 25-item checklist and flow diagram for conducting RCT.
  • Non-Randomized Control Trial (NRCT): The TREND (Tansparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs) specifically developed to improve the reporting standards of nonrandomized evaluations of behavioral and public health interventions. Click to download the TREND statement and 22-item checklist.

2. Qualitative research:

Qualitative research studies use non-quantitative methods to address a defined research question that may not be accessible by quantitative methods, such as people's interpretations, experiences, and perspectives. The analysis methods are explicit, systematic, and reproducible, but the results do not involve numerical values or use statistics. Qualitative research studies should be reported in accordance to the following guidelines:

3. Systematic Review & Meta-analysis:

A systematic review attempts to gather all available empirical research by using clearly defined, systematic methods to obtain answers to a specific question. A meta-analysis is the statistical process of analyzing and combining results from several similar studies. PRISMA (Prefered Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis) is an evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. 

  • PRISMA (Prefered Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis)

  •  PRISMA-P (Prefered Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis for Protocals)

  • PRISMA-ScR (Prefered Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Review)

4. Diagnostic Accuracy Studies: 

5. Clinical Case Report:

6. Preclinical Animal Studies:

7. Reporting guidelines for e-survey: CHERRIES:

  • CHERRIES (CHEcklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys ): Click to download the Checklist

7. Other types of health-related research: Consult the website of Equator Network and select appropriate reporting guidelines related to your research. Visit the website for further details: http://www.equator-network.org/