The EQUATOR network (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) is an international initiative that seeks to improve the reliability and value of published health research literature. Reporting guidelines promote clear reporting of methods and results to allow critical appraisal of the manuscript.

All research articles should be written in accordance with the relevant research reporting guideline, this will ensure that you provide enough information for editors, peer reviewers and readers to understand how the research was performed and to judge whether the findings are likely to be reliable. Reporting guidelines should be submitted with research articles as supplemental materials; checklists should list which page of your research article each checklist item appears.

All available guidelines can be found on the Equator Network website, below is the list of most often used but others may apply:

• Randomised controlled trials (RCTs): CONSORT guidelines, flowchart and structured abstract checklist
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: PRISMA guidelines, flowchart and structured abstract checklist
• Observational studies in epidemiology: STROBE guidelines (also refer to RECORD for observational studies using routinely collected health data) and MOOSE guidelines
• Diagnostic accuracy studies: STARD guidelines
• Quality improvement studies: SQUIRE guidelines
• Multivariate prediction models: TRIPOD guidelines
• Economic evaluation studies: CHEERS guidelines
• Animal pre-clinical studies: ARRIVE guidelines
• Web-based surveys: CHERRIES guidelines
• SEARCHeD: SEARCHeD guidelines

If you are not sure which guidelines are the most relevant for your type of study, please use the online tool developed by the EQUATOR Network and Penelope Research.