Study design to official checklist
Find your study design below. Open the official guideline, then confirm the checklist and version your journal requires.
14 starting routes · Sources checked · Journal survey: 117 journals, checked · By Manusights
Starting routes, not journal mandates. Each record has an official source, a limit note and a checked date.
| Your study | Start here | Check next |
|---|---|---|
| Randomized trial results | CONSORT 2025 | Check the design-specific extension and its base version.Definition and limitsA trial protocol takes the SPIRIT route, not this results checklist. |
| Randomized trial protocol | SPIRIT 2025 | Confirm any relevant design or intervention extension.Definition and limitsNot a registration service or a protocol standard for every study design. |
| Systematic review of intervention effects | PRISMA 2020 | Applies with or without meta-analysis, including randomized and non-randomized evidence.Definition and limitsCheck a question-specific extension; not a risk-of-bias appraisal tool. |
| Systematic review protocol | PRISMA-P 2015 | Use the protocol checklist before writing a completed-review report.Definition and limitsDo not use PRISMA-P alone for the review's final results. |
| Scoping review | PRISMA-ScR 2018 | Use the scoping extension for an evidence-mapping question.Definition and limitsA scoping review is not simply a systematic review without a meta-analysis. |
| Cohort, case-control or cross-sectional study | STROBE | Select the matching design checklist.Definition and limitsReporting completeness does not establish study quality or remove confounding. |
| Observational routinely collected health data | RECORD + STROBE | Check how routine health records are used in this observational study.Definition and limitsA data source alone does not decide the study design. |
| Diagnostic test accuracy | STARD 2015 | For AI diagnostic accuracy, also check STARD-AI (2025).Definition and limitsA prediction-model study may need the TRIPOD+AI route instead. |
| Clinical prediction model | TRIPOD+AI 2024 | Covers regression and machine learning; replaces TRIPOD 2015.Definition and limitsNot a blanket checklist for every paper that uses AI. |
| In vivo animal research | ARRIVE 2.0 | Use the Essential 10 and consult the Recommended Set.Definition and limitsNeither checklist replaces ethics approval or assessment of the design. |
| Individual clinical case report | CARE 2013 | Consult the case-report checklist and consent guidance.Definition and limitsDo not assume every case series has the same reporting requirements. |
| Qualitative interviews or focus groups | COREQ | Check SRQR for a broader qualitative design.Definition and limitsCOREQ does not automatically cover every qualitative or mixed-methods study. |
| Health economic evaluation | CHEERS 2022 | Check specialized extensions for the evaluation.Definition and limitsA reporting standard is not a guarantee of economic-model validity. |
| Healthcare improvement work | SQUIRE 2.0 | Check the improvement-reporting guidance and relevant extension.Definition and limitsDistinguish reporting an improvement project from proving an intervention's effect. |
A starting route for selected health-research designs, not an exhaustive library or an official checklist. Confirm the exact version, applicable extensions and the target journal's submission instructions. Reporting completeness is not proof of sound methods.
Take the routing sheet with you
One-page biomedical reporting guideline selector
A landscape reference with all 14 starting routes and clickable official sources. The worksheet is a map to the guidance, not a substitute for the official reporting checklist.
We checked a fixed sample of 117 journals and could verify instructions for 115. For 12 reporting guidelines, we recorded whether each journal requires, encourages or only mentions it, and whether it asks for the checklist itself. The rates use all 117 journals, including 2 whose instructions we could not verify. Those journals remain unknown. Search your journal, then open its instructions before you submit: the rules change.
Coded from each journal's instructions, checked 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15. "Required" means mandatory wording; "should" counts as encouraged.
| Journal | What the instructions do | Required | Encouraged | Checklist file required | Where the rule is written |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACS Omega | Names no guideline | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Acta Biomaterialia | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Allergy | Requires at submission | ARRIVE | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE | No | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Annals of Internal Medicine | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, TRIPOD, COREQ/SRQR, CHEERS, EQUATOR (general) | SPIRIT | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Bioinformatics | Names no guideline | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Biomaterials | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Bioresource Technology | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| BMC Medicine | Requires at submission | CONSORT | SPIRIT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, CARE, TRIPOD, COREQ/SRQR, CHEERS, EQUATOR (general) | Yes | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Brain | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, ARRIVE, EQUATOR (general) | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Bulletin of the World Health Organization | Encourages only | None | PRISMA, EQUATOR (general) | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cancer Cell | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cancer Letters | Requires at submission | CONSORT | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Carbohydrate Polymers | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cell | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cell Death and Differentiation | Requires at submission | CONSORT | ARRIVE | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cell Death and Disease | Requires at submission | CONSORT | ARRIVE | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cell Discovery | Requires at submission | CONSORT | ARRIVE | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cell Metabolism | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cell Reports | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cell Stem Cell | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cell Systems | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, SPIRIT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, CARE, TRIPOD, COREQ/SRQR, CHEERS, EQUATOR (general) | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Chemosphere | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology | Requires at submission | CONSORT, EQUATOR (general) | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Communications Biology | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Conservation Biology | Names no guideline | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Critical Care | Requires at submission | CONSORT | SPIRIT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, CARE, TRIPOD, COREQ/SRQR, CHEERS, EQUATOR (general) | Yes | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Current Biology | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Deutsches Ärzteblatt (German Medical Journal) | Could not verify | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Developmental Cell | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Diabetes Care | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE | EQUATOR (general) | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Diabetologia | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD, COREQ/SRQR | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Environment International | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Environmental Pollution | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Environmental Research | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| European Respiratory Journal | Requires at submission | CONSORT | SPIRIT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, TRIPOD | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Experimental & Molecular Medicine | Names no guideline | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Food Chemistry | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Frontiers in Immunology | Requires at submission | SPIRIT | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, ARRIVE, EQUATOR (general) | No | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Frontiers in Microbiology | Requires at submission | SPIRIT | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, ARRIVE, EQUATOR (general) | No | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Frontiers in Plant Science | Requires at submission | SPIRIT | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, ARRIVE, EQUATOR (general) | No | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Genes & Development | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Genome Biology | Requires at submission | CONSORT | SPIRIT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, CARE, TRIPOD, COREQ/SRQR, CHEERS, EQUATOR (general) | Yes | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Genome Research | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Global Change Biology | Requires at submission | ARRIVE | CONSORT, CARE | No | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Gut | Names no guideline | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Heliyon | Requires at submission | CONSORT, SPIRIT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE, COREQ/SRQR | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Hepatology | Could not verify | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Immunity | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| International Journal of Biological Macromolecules | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| International Journal of Molecular Sciences | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, ARRIVE | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| International Journal of Oral Science | Names no guideline | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| JAMA | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, TRIPOD, COREQ/SRQR, CHEERS, EQUATOR (general) | SPIRIT | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| JCI Insight | Encourages only | None | ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Cell Biology | Encourages only | None | ARRIVE, EQUATOR (general) | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Clinical Investigation | Encourages only | None | ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Colloid and Interface Science | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Controlled Release | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Environmental Management | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research | Requires at submission | CONSORT | SPIRIT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, CARE, TRIPOD, COREQ/SRQR, CHEERS, EQUATOR (general) | Yes | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Experimental Medicine | Encourages only | None | ARRIVE, EQUATOR (general) | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Hazardous Materials | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Korean Medical Science | Requires at submission | CONSORT | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Medical Internet Research | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA | SPIRIT, CARE, TRIPOD, EQUATOR (general) | Yes | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Journal of Neuroscience | Names no guideline | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Kidney International | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, TRIPOD, COREQ/SRQR, CHEERS | EQUATOR (general) | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Materials | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, ARRIVE | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Medical Tunisia (La Tunisie Médicale) | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, ARRIVE, CARE | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Medwave | Requires at submission | CONSORT, SPIRIT, PRISMA, STROBE, CARE, CHEERS, EQUATOR (general) | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Microbiome | Requires at submission | CONSORT | SPIRIT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, CARE, TRIPOD, COREQ/SRQR, CHEERS, EQUATOR (general) | Yes | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Molecular Cell | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Molecular Psychiatry | Requires at submission | PRISMA | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Molecular Systems Biology | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Molecular Therapy | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Molecules | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, ARRIVE | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Cell Biology | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Chemical Biology | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Chemistry | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Communications | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Genetics | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Human Behaviour | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Medicine | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-13 |
| Nature Metabolism | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Methods | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Microbiology | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Nanotechnology | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Neuroscience | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, TRIPOD | None | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nature Protocols | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Neuron | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| New England Journal of Medicine | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| New Phytologist | Requires at submission | ARRIVE | CONSORT, CARE | No | publisher-wide pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| New Zealand Medical Journal | Names no guideline | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nucleic Acids Research | Encourages only | None | ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Nutrients | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, ARRIVE | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-13 |
| Physical Review Letters | Names no guideline | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Phytomedicine | Requires at submission | CONSORT | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| PLoS Biology | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA | STARD, ARRIVE, MDAR | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| PLoS Medicine | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, EQUATOR (general) | MDAR | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-13 |
| PLOS One | Requires at submission | CONSORT, SPIRIT, PRISMA | STARD, ARRIVE, COREQ/SRQR, MDAR, EQUATOR (general) | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| PNAS Nexus | Requires at submission | ARRIVE | EQUATOR (general) | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Polymers | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, ARRIVE | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| RNA | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| RSC Advances | Encourages only | None | ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Scientific Reports | Requires at submission | CONSORT | ARRIVE | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Sensors | Requires at submission | CONSORT, ARRIVE | PRISMA | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| The American Journal of Human Genetics | Requires at submission | CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | ARRIVE | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| The BMJ | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, TRIPOD, CHEERS, EQUATOR (general) | None | Yes | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| The EMBO Journal | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, CARE, EQUATOR (general) | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| The ISME Journal | Names no guideline | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| The Journal of Chemical Physics | Mentions only | None | None | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| The Lancet | Requires at submission | CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, STARD | COREQ/SRQR | No | journal pageDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| The National Medical Journal of India | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, PRISMA, STARD | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| The Science of The Total Environment | Encourages only | None | CONSORT, ARRIVE | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Waste Management | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
| Water Research | Encourages only | None | CONSORT | Not applicable | Not applicableDefinition and limitsChecked 2026-10-15 |
How we coded it. The sample was fixed before any page was read: the 104 journals of our acceptance-times dataset plus the 14 ICMJE member journals. It is a chosen set, not a random sample of all journals. For each journal we read its author instructions in full, then the policy pages they link. Must, required and direct instructions count as required; should, expected and recommend count as encouraged, so the required figures are conservative. A second coder re-coded a random fifth of the journals from the evidence alone and agreed on 92% of the entries where either found a guideline (the bar was 90%). The one systematic difference was settled as a rule and applied to every journal.
What it cannot tell you. A submission system can ask for a checklist the instructions never mention, and instructions change after we read them. Two journals could not be checked: Hepatology links no author instructions from its site, and the Deutsches Ärzteblatt instructions page showed no text. Earlier surveys covered one guideline or one field: Hopewell et al., Trials 2008: CONSORT endorsement in high-impact medical journals; Shamseer et al., Trials 2016: the 2014 update of that survey; Shantikumar et al., Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2012: CONSORT and PRISMA in surgical journals; Jorski et al., Int J Evid Based Healthc 2018: gastroenterology and hepatology journals.
Download and cite. CSV and JSON (CC BY 4.0), one row per journal and guideline. Downloads carry 48 of 117 journals. The other 69 have their instructions on Elsevier, Springer Nature, JAMA Network or APS sites, whose terms restrict compiling their content; they are shown with links on the page and counted in the summary. Cite as: Manusights. (2026). Which journals require a reporting guideline? A journal-by-journal survey (Version 2026.11.1). https://manusights.com/resources/reporting-guidelines#journal-mandates
Fictional teaching cases. The choices below are Manusights interpretation of the linked guidance, not editorial decisions about real submissions.
Fictional case: a review evaluates an intervention using randomized and cohort studies. The outcomes cannot be pooled.
Start with PRISMA 2020. Consider SWiM if the intervention synthesis fits its scope. Lack of a meta-analysis is not a reason to relabel this a scoping review.
Check the source guidanceFictional case: a team develops a logistic-regression model to predict readmission.
Use TRIPOD+AI, even though no machine-learning algorithm was used. Record the development and evaluation setting instead of treating an AI label as the deciding variable.
Check the source guidanceFictional case: participants and intervention providers knew which treatment was assigned. A draft checklist says only 'N/A'.
Report who was not blinded and why; distinguish outcome assessment from participant blinding. A procedure not performed can still need reporting. Do not turn a missing safeguard into an inapplicable item.
Check the source guidanceNext: record the remaining submission decisions. Completion means the reporting locations can be checked, not that acceptance or methodological quality is assured.
No. It makes the report easier to inspect. Bias, analysis, ethics and the strength of the claims still need their own assessment. Do not convert the number of completed items into a scientific-quality score.
This selector does not claim a universal journal mandate. Open the current instructions for the exact journal, article type and submission stage. Record the named checklist, version, file category and any extension. If instructions conflict with updated guidance, ask the editorial office.
Start with the primary design, then check the scope of each relevant extension or additional framework. Keep a short record of why each was selected. Mixed designs and specialist fields may need the EQUATOR library or a methods specialist.
How this edition was built. Manusights checked the scope and current core version of the 14 routes against the sources below. The selection is editorial, not a ranking of the most-used guidelines. It is not exhaustive; use EQUATOR for specialist designs. The routes themselves were not independently validated; the journal survey above was, by a second coder on a random fifth of the journals.
This edition has passed Manusights internal publication review only; it has not been independently or peer reviewed.
Reporting results of randomized trials. Section: CONSORT 2025. Checked 2026-09-11.
Reporting protocols of randomized trials. Section: SPIRIT 2025. Checked 2026-09-11.
Reporting systematic reviews with or without statistical synthesis. Section: Scope of the guideline. Checked 2026-09-11.
Systematic review protocol reporting. Section: PRISMA-Protocols; Key documents. Checked 2026-09-11.
Scoping review reporting and checklist. Section: PRISMA-Scoping Reviews. Checked 2026-09-11.
Three observational designs; not a quality-evaluation instrument. Section: Aims and use of STROBE. Checked 2026-09-11.
RECORD is an extension of STROBE for routinely collected health data. Section: What is RECORD?. Checked 2026-09-11.
Diagnostic accuracy reporting and the published AI guidance. Section: STARD 2015; STARD-AI. Checked 2026-09-11.
Prediction-model development, evaluation and updating. Section: Scope; Development, validation, updating of a prediction model. Checked 2026-09-11.
Both reporting sets and their intended use. Section: ARRIVE Essential 10; Recommended Set. Checked 2026-09-11.
Individual case-report structure, patient perspective and consent. Section: 2013 CARE Checklist. Checked 2026-09-11.
Qualitative interviews and focus groups. Section: Reporting guideline provided for?. Checked 2026-09-11.
Reporting health economic evaluations. Section: Reporting guideline acronym; Study design. Checked 2026-09-11.
Reporting systematic work to improve healthcare quality. Section: Reporting guideline provided for?. Checked 2026-09-11.
Some extensions still reference older core statements. Check their compatibility rather than assuming a 2025 update. Section: Extensions based on 2025 and 2013/2010 checklists. Checked 2026-09-11.
Question-specific guidance and SWiM for applicable intervention reviews without meta-analysis. Section: PRISMA extensions and closely aligned guidelines. Checked 2026-09-11.
Specific guidance for observational meta-analyses. Check it alongside the relevant review guidance when applicable or requested. Section: Abstract and proposed reporting checklist. Checked 2026-09-11.
A broader qualitative-reporting starting point when COREQ's interview and focus-group scope does not fit. Section: Reporting guideline provided for?. Checked 2026-09-11.
Search by design, clinical area and report section for specialist or mixed-design work. Section: Search for reporting guidelines. Checked 2026-09-11.
Edition 2026.09.11-reporting2 replaces outdated core-version advice and unverified journal mandates. Original Manusights routing notes and PDF: CC BY 4.0. Cite this edition and identify adaptations. Third-party checklists keep their own terms; inclusion does not imply endorsement. Recheck within 90 days or when a named guideline changes. Report a correction.
Cite this resource
Free to use and cite, with attribution. See the reuse policy for what you may republish.
Next for the manuscript
A reporting checklist and a journal’s submission instructions solve different parts of the same submission.
