Research Corner
Guidelines for writing research, education and clinical medical literature: the EQUATOR network
By Nathalia Jimenez, MD, MPH
SPA Research Committee
Associate Professor, Seattle Children’s Hospital
Seattle, WA
To continue to provide practical guidance to SPA members who would like to present and/or submit their academic work for publication, this write-up will focus on an important aspect of preparing a manuscript for publication: The use of medical writing guidelines.
Often authors think about medical writing guidelines as being pertinent only to formal research studies, such as randomized control trials. However, there are guidelines for reporting studies related to quality improvement, economic evaluations, clinical practice guidelines and case reports to name a few. These have been developed by a group of experts in each particular field, and provide a list of what is considered to be the basic elements of a particular study design, quality improvement project or case report. An easy way to access these guidelines is through the EQUATOR network.
EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of Health Research network) is a global initiative that brings together researchers, journal editors, research funding bodies, peer reviewers and others with interest in improving the quality of research publications and of research itself. The EQUATOR Network website is managed by the UK EQUATOR Centre, hosted by the Centre for Statistics in Medicine, at the University of Oxford. (http://www.equator-network.org/)
In their web page you will find reporting guidelines for different types of research studies, including randomized control trials (CONSORT); observational cohort studies (STROBE); systematic reviews (PRISMA); diagnostic and prognostic studies (STARD); and qualitative studies (SRQR). You will also find guidelines for writing case reports (CARE); quality improvement studies (SQUIRE); economic evaluations (CHEERS); and clinical practice guidelines (AGREE). Also, if you are unsure of which reporting guideline to use, the EQUATOR library for health research reporting provides assistance to help you find the best fit for your needs.
On this web page you will also find other resources for medical writing that can be helpful, especially for junior faculty and trainees. As an example, the process of writing and presenting a clinical case report can be challenging. What information and how much detail is expected? Is there a standardized structure to this type of report? The CARE Checklist for case reports will answer many of these questions.
Why should I use these guidelines? From the practical standpoint, journals are increasingly standardizing study reports and are actively asking authors to use them. From the methodological standpoint, if you are relatively new to scientific writing, you may find that reviewing these checklists will inform your approach to describing a study or case report and hopefully, make the process easier and more efficient. Therefore, I encourage you to click here (http://www.equator-network.org/) to visit the EQUATOR webpage when you are preparing your abstract submission to the SPA this fall or if you are preparing a manuscript for publication. If you are working with a resident, having the resident read through the information on this site before submitting a draft to you for review, will also be very helpful.
Please let us know if you have questions, or suggestions for possible topics for this section, by sending an e-mail to: bob@societyhq.com.
