What are reporting guidelines?

Reporting guidelines are standardized checklists that tell researchers exactly what information to include in a manuscript, based on study type. They exist because published research consistently omits critical details.

Which reporting guideline should I use?

It depends on your study type. CONSORT for randomized trials, STROBE for observational studies, PRISMA for systematic reviews, STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies, ARRIVE for animal research, and CARE for case reports.

Do journals require reporting guideline compliance?

Yes — hundreds of journals now require compliance with the relevant reporting guideline as a condition of submission. Non-compliance is a common reason for desk rejection.

Can AI check reporting guideline compliance?

Yes. PeerReviewAI auto-detects your study type and checks your manuscript against the appropriate reporting guideline automatically.

How do I know which reporting guideline applies to my study?

Match by your study design. Find the row that describes what you actually did — a randomized trial, an observational study, a systematic review, a case report, and so on — then use the reporting guideline paired with it. If your study type is not in the common list, the EQUATOR Network maintains the canonical master index of every reporting guideline.

Reporting Guidelines

Which reporting guideline does your study need?

CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, STARD, ARRIVE, CARE, SPIRIT, SRQR — there are dozens of reporting guidelines. Most researchers are not sure which one applies to their study. You do not need to be. Upload your manuscript and PeerReviewAI detects your study type and applies the correct guideline automatically.

Last updated: June 26, 2026

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Quick reference

Reporting guidelines by study type.

Find your study design in the left column and use the matching reporting guideline. These are the thirteen most common study types — the EQUATOR Network indexes the full set.

Study type	Reporting guideline	What it covers
Randomized controlled trial	CONSORT 2025	Reporting randomized controlled trials
Trial protocol	SPIRIT 2025	Protocols for clinical trials
Observational study (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional)	STROBE	Observational studies of all three designs
Systematic review / meta-analysis	PRISMA 2020	Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
Scoping review	PRISMA-ScR	Scoping reviews
Diagnostic / prognostic accuracy study	STARD 2015	Diagnostic and prognostic accuracy studies
Case report	CARE	Individual clinical case reports
Qualitative research	SRQR	Qualitative studies; use COREQ for interviews and focus groups
Prediction model study	TRIPOD	Developing and validating clinical prediction models
Animal / preclinical research	ARRIVE 2.0	Animal and preclinical research
Economic evaluation	CHEERS 2022	Health economic evaluations
Quality improvement study	SQUIRE 2.0	Quality-improvement studies
Genetic association study	STREGA	Gene-disease association studies

Working on a study design that is not listed here? The EQUATOR Network maintains the canonical master index of every reporting guideline. Or skip the lookup entirely — PeerReviewAI's automated peer review detects your study type and applies the correct guideline for you.

The basics

Why reporting guidelines exist.

Reporting guidelines exist because published research is consistently incomplete. Studies omit critical details — how patients were randomized, how missing data were handled, what the primary outcome was before the study started. Without these details, readers cannot evaluate the study, replicate it, or apply it to practice.

Reporting guidelines are standardized checklists that tell authors exactly what to include. Hundreds of journals now require compliance with the relevant guideline as a condition of submission. Not following the right guideline is one of the most common reasons for desk rejection.

The match

Find your reporting guideline.

Match your study type to the correct guideline. PeerReviewAI identifies your study type automatically and applies the right checklist — but knowing which guideline applies helps you write a better manuscript from the start.

Randomized controlled trialCONSORT 2025

Observational study (cohort)STROBE

Observational study (case-control)STROBE

Observational study (cross-sectional)STROBE

Systematic reviewPRISMA 2020

Meta-analysisPRISMA 2020

Diagnostic accuracy studySTARD 2015

Animal researchARRIVE 2.0

Case reportCARE

Clinical trial protocolSPIRIT

Qualitative researchSRQR

Quality improvement studySQUIRE 2.0

Economic evaluationCHEERS

Prediction model studyTRIPOD

Study protocol (non-trial)PRISMA-P

Scoping reviewPRISMA-ScR

Network meta-analysisPRISMA-NMA

Individual participant data meta-analysisPRISMA-IPD

Genetic association studySTREGA

Not sure which one applies? Upload your manuscript and PeerReviewAI will detect your study type and apply the correct guideline automatically.

The check

What PeerReviewAI checks.

PeerReviewAI supports the major reporting guideline checklists used across biomedical and scientific publishing. When you submit a manuscript for automated review, the system identifies your study type and retrieves the complete checklist for the appropriate guideline. Every item is evaluated against your manuscript text — a qualitative assessment of whether the reporting is adequate, incomplete, or missing. You receive specific feedback on what is covered, what is missing, and what needs strengthening.

Comprehensive coverage

CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, STARD, ARRIVE, CARE, SPIRIT, SRQR, SQUIRE, CHEERS, TRIPOD, PRISMA-P, PRISMA-ScR, PRISMA-NMA, PRISMA-IPD, STREGA, and more.

Identified automatically

You do not need to know which guideline applies. The right one is identified from your manuscript and used automatically.

Item-by-item evaluation

Not a summary score. Each checklist item is evaluated individually with specific feedback on what your manuscript says — and what it does not.

Included in every review

Reporting guideline compliance checking is part of every Essentials ($2.99), Peer Review ($29), and Author Review ($79). No add-on required.

The pattern

The most common compliance gaps.

Across thousands of published studies, the same checklist items are missed repeatedly. Knowing the common gaps helps you address them before submission.

CONSORT

Randomized Controlled Trials

Sample size calculation and how it was determined
Randomization sequence generation method
Allocation concealment mechanism
Who was blinded and how blinding was assessed
Flow diagram showing participant progression

Read the CONSORT deep-dive

STROBE

Observational Studies

Study design stated in the title or abstract
How study size was determined
How potential sources of bias were addressed
How confounding variables were handled
Sensitivity analyses

Read the STROBE deep-dive

PRISMA

Systematic Reviews

Complete search strategy for at least one database
Risk of bias assessment for included studies
Protocol registration number
Certainty of evidence assessment (GRADE)

Read the PRISMA deep-dive

The source

The EQUATOR Network.

The EQUATOR Network is the international initiative that develops and maintains reporting guidelines. If you are unsure which guideline applies to your study, the EQUATOR Network website has a decision tool. PeerReviewAI's checklists are built from the same source guidelines published by EQUATOR and its member organizations.

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