Elaboración de directrices para la publicación de investigación biomédica: proceso y fundamento científico

If a journal article describes in enough detail what was done at each stage of a study, readers will have enough information to allow them to decide on the merits of the results for themselves. From this simple idea comes the scientific rationale of developing guidelines on how to report research. We consider desirable attributes of such guidelines, emphasising the importance of being evidence-based where possible. We describe recommended processes to produce guidelines that have evolved over several years during the preparation of a sequence of reporting guidelines including CONSORT, QUOROM, STARD and STROBE.