Guidelines – SciMerge

General guidelines for research studies

CONSORT Statement
Description: The CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement provides a set of guidelines for reporting randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Its aim is to improve the quality of reports by ensuring transparency and completeness, thereby facilitating the assessment of trial validity and applicability.

PRISMA Statement
Description: The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement offers guidelines for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses. It helps authors ensure that their review is comprehensive, transparent, and reproducible.

STROBE Statement
Description: The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) statement provides guidelines for reporting observational studies, including cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. It emphasises clear reporting of study design, methods, and findings.

SPIRIT Statement
Description: The SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) statement provides guidance for the preparation of research protocols for clinical trials. It ensures that essential information is included in protocols, enhancing the transparency and quality of trial design.

ICMJE Recommendations
Description: The ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) provides guidelines for authorship and ethical publication practices in biomedical research. These recommendations address issues such as authorship criteria, conflicts of interest, and the responsibilities of authors.

COREQ Guidelines
Description: The COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) guidelines provide a framework for reporting qualitative research. They focus on ensuring that qualitative studies are reported transparently, facilitating the assessment of research quality and rigor.

REFLECT Statement
Description: The REFLECT (Reporting guidelines for randomised controlled trials) statement provides guidelines specifically for reporting qualitative research in health and social care. It aims to improve the transparency and quality of reporting in this field.

GCP Guidelines
Description: Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines are international ethical and scientific quality standards for designing, conducting, and reporting clinical trials. They ensure that trials are conducted with integrity, protecting the rights and safety of participants.

SAGER Guidelines
Description: The SAGER (Sex and Gender Equity in Research) guidelines aim to improve the reporting of sex and gender information in health research. They encourage researchers to consider sex and gender as variables in their studies to enhance the applicability of findings.

NICE Guidelines
Description: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides guidelines on best practices in healthcare, including research methodologies and evaluations. Their guidelines can help researchers design studies that align with healthcare standards and patient needs.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

NICE Guidelines
Description: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides guidelines on best practices in healthcare, including research methodologies and evaluations. Their guidelines can help researchers design studies that align with healthcare standards and patient needs.

Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
Description: The Cochrane Handbook is a comprehensive resource for conducting systematic reviews of interventions. It covers the entire review process, including planning, conducting, and reporting, with a strong emphasis on evidence synthesis and meta-analysis techniques.

MOOSE Guidelines
Description: The MOOSE (Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines provide recommendations for the reporting of meta-analyses of observational studies. They focus on ensuring transparency and methodological rigor in the review process.

Meta-analysis Guidelines (from the American Psychological Association)
Description: The American Psychological Association offers guidelines for conducting and reporting meta-analyses within the field of psychology. These guidelines emphasise the importance of systematic searching, data extraction, and effect size calculation.

ROBIS Tool
Description: The ROBIS (Risk Of Bias In Systematic reviews) tool is a framework for assessing the risk of bias in systematic reviews. It provides guidance on evaluating the reliability of review findings, particularly in relation to the methodology and reporting.

GRADE System
Description: The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) system provides a transparent framework for rating the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations in systematic reviews and guidelines. It assists researchers in assessing the certainty of evidence from meta-analyses.

RevMan
Description: RevMan (Review Manager) is software developed by Cochrane for preparing and maintaining systematic reviews. It offers tools for data analysis, including meta-analysis, and is widely used for its user-friendly interface.

Cochrane Library
Description: The Cochrane Library is a collection of high-quality evidence-based resources, including systematic reviews. It is a valuable tool for researchers conducting systematic reviews, providing access to a wide range of studies and reviews.

PROSPERO
Description: PROSPERO is an international database for registering systematic reviews. Researchers are encouraged to register their review protocols before starting their work, which promotes transparency and reduces the risk of bias.

EQUATOR Network
Description: The EQUATOR (Enhancing the Quality and Transparency Of Health Research) Network provides resources and guidelines for reporting health research studies, including systematic reviews. It aims to improve the quality of research reporting across disciplines.

Animal Model Research

ARRIVE Guidelines
Description: The ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) guidelines provide a framework for reporting research involving animal models. These guidelines aim to improve the quality and transparency of research by encouraging thorough reporting of experimental details, including study design, methodology, and statistical analyses.

NC3Rs Guidelines
Description: The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) offers guidelines and resources to support researchers in the ethical use of animals in research. Their resources focus on the principles of the 3Rs: replacement, refinement, and reduction.

US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guidelines
Description: The NIH provides guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals in research. These guidelines cover a range of topics, including ethical considerations, animal welfare, and the responsibilities of researchers.

European Directive 2010/63/EU
Description: This European directive outlines the ethical and welfare standards for the use of animals in scientific research across EU member states. It aims to ensure the humane treatment of animals and to promote the 3Rs in research practices.

Animal Welfare Act (UK)
Description: The Animal Welfare Act provides a legal framework for the protection of animals in the UK. It outlines the responsibilities of researchers to ensure the welfare of animals used in scientific studies and to minimise suffering.

Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research
Description: These guidelines from the National Academies provide recommendations for the ethical care and use of mammals in neuroscience and behavioural research. They focus on minimising pain and distress while ensuring scientific validity.

International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals
Description: These principles provide a framework for ethical considerations in biomedical research involving animals. They emphasise the importance of scientific justification, ethical review, and humane treatment.

Society for Neuroscience Guidelines
Description: The Society for Neuroscience offers guidelines for the ethical use of animals in neuroscience research. These guidelines promote the responsible and humane treatment of animals, ensuring that studies are scientifically valid and ethically sound.

Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Guidelines
Description: The CCAC provides guidelines and standards for the ethical use of animals in research in Canada. Their resources address animal welfare and the responsibilities of researchers in various fields.

British Veterinary Association Guidelines
Description: The British Veterinary Association offers guidance on the welfare of animals used in research. Their guidelines focus on the ethical treatment of research animals and the role of veterinarians in ensuring animal welfare.