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. 2015 Sep 22:15:74.
doi: 10.1186/s12874-015-0069-z.

Methodology and reporting quality of reporting guidelines: systematic review

Xiaoqin Wang  1   2   3   4 , Yaolong Chen  5   6   7 , Nan Yang  8 , Wei Deng  9 , Qi Wang  10   11   12 , Nan Li  13 , Liang Yao  14   15   16 , Dang Wei  17   18   19 , Gen Chen  20   21 , Kehu Yang  22   23   24
Affiliations

Methodology and reporting quality of reporting guidelines: systematic review

Xiaoqin Wang et al. BMC Med Res Methodol. .

Abstract

Background: With increasing attention put on the methodology of reporting guidelines, Moher et al. conducted a review of reporting guidelines up to December 2009. Information gaps appeared on many aspects. Therefore, in 2010, the Guidance for Developers of Health Research Reporting Guidelines was developed. With more than four years passed and a considerable investment was put into reporting guideline development, a large number of new, updated, and expanded reporting guidelines have become available since January 2010. We aimed to systematically review the reporting guidelines published since January 2010, and investigate the application of the Guidance.

Methods: We systematically searched databases including the Cochrane Methodology Register, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, and retrieved EQUATOR and the website (if available) to find reporting guidelines as well as their accompanying documents. We screened the titles and abstracts resulting from searches and extracted data. We focused on the methodology and reporting of the included guidelines, and described information with a series of tables and narrative summaries. Data were summarized descriptively using frequencies, proportions, and medians as appropriate.

Results: Twenty-eight and 32 reporting guidelines were retrieved from databases and EQUATOR network, respectively. Reporting guidelines were designed for a broad spectrum of types of research. A considerable number of reporting guidelines were published and updated in recent years. Methods of initial items were given in 45 (75%) guidelines. Thirty-eight (63%) guidelines reported they have reached consensus, and 35 (58%) described their consensus methods. Only 9 (15%) guidelines followed the Guidance.

Conclusions: Only few guidelines were developed complying with the Guidance. More attention should be paid to the quality of reporting guidelines.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of reporting guidelines identified, included and excluded. A total of 4329 records were hit by searching electronic databases. After 1387 duplicates removed, 2942 records were screened trough titles and abstracts, and 2877 were excluded. Then 65 full text articles assessed for eligibility, in which 37 were excluded. At last, together with 32 additional reporting guidelines from EQUATOR, 60 reporting guidelines were included
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The information of core items in reporting guidelines
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comparison of guidelines that mentioned the Guidance vs those that did not
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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