1. Uses of STROBE in real life Questionnaire results
Myriam Cevallos
ISPM Bern
STROBE Statement revision

2. STROBE Statement revision
Outline
Objectives
Methods
Results
Conclusions
STROBE Statement revision

3. STROBE Statement revision
Objectives
Assess how the STROBE recommendations are used in real life
STROBE Statement revision

4. STROBE Statement revision
Methods
Online survey about the use of STROBE in real life (May – Aug 2010)
Sent to:
participants of previous STROBE meetings
authors of commentaries, editorials or letters about STROBE
journals’ editors, authors of reporting guidelines (Moose, STREGA)
translators of STROBE
Published in STROBE website and EQUATOR Network newsletter (Aug. 2010)
STROBE Statement revision

5. STROBE Statement revision
Methods
STROBE Statement revision

6. STROBE Statement revision
Methods
STROBE Statement revision

7. STROBE Statement revision
Results
N=35 (%)
Persons returning completed STROBE questionnaire
Researcher active in epidemiological research
24 (69)
Editors of biomedical journals
8 (23)
Interested but not actively involved in epidemiological research
3 (8)
STROBE Statement revision

8. STROBE Statement revision
Results
N=35 (%)
When do you use the STROBE checklist
Yes No
Not applicable
When preparing a report of an observational study?
24(73)
5(15)
4(12)
When reviewing or making an editorial decision on a given study report, to assess the submitted article?
22(69)
7(22)
3(9)
When conducting a systematic review including observational studies?
14(45)
9(29)
8(26)
STROBE Statement revision

9. STROBE Statement revision
Other uses
Teaching
Young researchers when writing their first paper
Appraisal of observational studies workshop
Writing workshops
Epidemiology lectures
Talks on how to write and submit papers to journals
Preparing / writing study protocols
Planning final manuscript writing process
Designing observation epidemiological studies
Setting up analysis plan
Fulfilling journal’s requirement for paper’s submission
Preparing manuscript for external editors
STROBE Statement revision

10. STROBE Statement revision
Particularly useful
Structure, simplicity, clarity, easy to apply
Concise and practical checklist
Template flowcharts
Evidence based approach
Examples and definitions
Open source publication (e.g. PLoS Med)
STROBE Statement revision

11. Particularly useful for teaching
Checklist (Item 10, 12, 20)
Examples and Explanation
Detailed explanations
Statistical analysis
Sources of bias and confounding
Interpretation of results
Discussion of matching
Definitions and Boxes
Translations
Links and references
Objectivity of the guidelines
STROBE Statement revision

12. Suggestions for the website
A link to the PRISMA-website would be useful
Checklists should probably be on the home page, rather than background to STROBE
Not clear when authors should used single or combined checklist
STROBE Statement revision

13. STROBE Statement revision
Conclusions
Most uses differ from original purpose
STROBE has become an important teaching tool
STROBE group may considered developing teaching module based on STROBE recommendations
Common website structure for all reporting guidelines or common website (EQUATOR?)
STROBE Statement revision

14. STROBE Statement revision
STROBE Statement revision

15. Journals’ endorsement
Myriam Cevallos
ISPM Bern
STROBE Statement revision

16. STROBE Statement revision
Outline
Objectives
Methods
Results
Examples
Conclusions
STROBE Statement revision

17. STROBE Statement revision
Objectives
Determine how journals that endorse STROBE incorporated the STROBE recommendations into their online version of “Instructions to authors”
STROBE Statement revision

18. STROBE Statement revision
Methods
Random selection of 100 journals that endorse STROBE from the STROBE website
Examination of Instructions to authors published on journals’ website (Jun.-Aug. 2010)
Extraction of all the text mentioning STROBE
Extraction of subject category and impact factor (ISI Journal Citation Reports® Ranking 2009)
Google Alerts are s sent to you when Google finds new results -- such as web pages, newspaper articles, or blogs -- that match your search term
You can use Google Alerts to monitor anything on the Web. For example, people use Google Alerts to: find out what is being said about their company or product.
STROBE Statement revision

19. STROBE website: endorsement section+
To: +
Google Alerts are s sent to you when Google finds new results -- such as web pages, newspaper articles, or blogs -- that match your search term. You can use Google Alerts to monitor anything on the Web. For example, people use Google Alerts to:
find out what is being said about their company or product.
STROBE Statement revision

20. STROBE Statement revision
Results
N=100
Instructions to authors
Published in journal’s website 98
Not available online 2
ISI web of knowledge
Listed in the journal citation report 2009 56
Subject category*
MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL 11
PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 8
ORTHOPEDICS 4
Others 58
* Some journals are listed in more than one category
STROBE Statement revision

21. STROBE Statement revision
Results
N=98
 Types of journals‘ endorsement of the STROBE recommendation
Journal informs authors on STROBE 27
Journal recommends authors to comply with STROBE 39
Journal requires authors to comply with STROBE
Submit completed checklist 14
Refers to EQUATOR or ICMJE* 5
* Mentioned STROBE in previous version of Instructions to authors. Link to EQUATOR or to ICMJE
STROBE Statement revision

22. STROBE Statement revision
Information
“Reporting guidelines may be accessed as follows”
“The following links may be useful as you prepare your manuscript for submission”
“we draw your attention in particular to the following guidelines on the presentation of particular forms of scientific article:”
Author Tools & Resources
Reporting Guidelines for Specific Study Designs
STROBE Observational studies in epidemiology…
STROBE Statement revision

23. Journals’ recommendations
“Observational studies please follow the STROBE guidelines”
“we recommend authors to adhere to the following reporting guidelines:”
“Authors are strongly recommended to consult the following reporting guidelines: “
Reports of case control, cohort and crosssectional studies should conform to the STROBE guidelines.
STROBE Statement revision

24. Journals’ requirements
When an observational study is submitted we will ask authors for:
* a completed STROBE checklist - uploaded as a supplemental file to the submitted paper.
Research articles must satisfy the following criteria:
7. The article adheres to appropriate reporting guidelines (e.g. CONSORT, MIAME, STROBE, EQUATOR) and community standards for data availability.
The board of Academic Editors, and any invited external peer reviewers, will evaluate submissions against these criteria.
Authors are required to follow these guidelines, include a flow diagram within the manuscript, and complete the most appropriate checklist for the submitted paper (cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional design), including it as the last page of the manuscript.
Observational studies (cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional designs) must be reported according to the STROBE statement (see also External link
STROBE Statement revision

25. Refers to EQUATOR or ICMJE
… AJPM joins other major medical journals in supporting the following reporting guidelines.
* The EQUATOR (Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research) network
…the ICMJE’s Uniform Requirements. In those requirements, it is also recommended that certain study designs follow particular structures for optimum reporting. Links to those specific recommendations can be obtained from the ICMJE website.
STROBE Statement revision

26. STROBE Statement revision
Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication (April 2010)
Authors are encouraged also to consult reporting guidelines relevant to their specific research design. A good source of reporting guidelines is the EQUATOR Network (http: //
STROBE Statement revision

27. STROBE Statement revision
Results
N=87
 Included a web address
STROBE Statement homepage 63
STROBE publication 9
EQUATOR network website 11
Journal’s internal webpage (STROBE checklist) 3
ICMJE website 1
STROBE Statement revision

28. STROBE Statement revision
Results
ISI web of knowledge
N=56
Citation report 09
Impact factor
median(min/max)
Requires 25
(0.716/30.758)
Recommends 21
( 0.57/17.457)
Informs 8
1.389 (0.203/9.792)
Equator/ICMJE 2
(4.235/6.36)
STROBE Statement revision

29. STROBE Statement revision
Inconsistencies (?)
Describe the study design in detail using standard methodological terms, such as retrospective or prospective cohort study, ... …Submissions reporting cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies should conform to the format suggested by the STROBE panel. [Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery]
For study types other than Randomized Controlled Trials, the Editors request that you please check the following guidelines prior to submitting your manuscript to ensure that the highest ethical standards for research are maintained. [Annals of Surgery]
We encourage creativity and originality and recognize that not all papers can or should meet these guidelines. You will increase the likelihood of acceptance, however, by identifying and justifying deviations from guideline recommendations in the paper or in your cover letter [Annals of Emergency Medicine]
STROBE recommend that authors refrain from simply calling a study ‘prospective' or ‘retrospective' because these terms are ill defined [29].
STROBE Statement revision

30. STROBE Statement revision
Conclusions
Encouraging that after 3 years more than 100 journals endorse STROBE
Ambiguity in the wording of some journals to whether they require or recommend authors to adhere to STROBE
Journals should enforce the use of STROBE recommending authors to submit a completed checklist as a requirement for submission
STROBE group may consider providing journals recommendations on how to endorse STROBE
STROBE Statement revision

31. STROBE Statement revision
Thanks!
STROBE Statement revision