STROBE Compliance Checker

Audit observational study manuscripts against the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) 22-item checklist.

Workflow

• Read the full manuscript

• Identify the study design: cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional

• Walk through each item below, noting design-specific sub-items

• For each item, assign: Reported / Partial / Missing / N/A

• Quote the relevant manuscript text (with line/page reference) as evidence

• Output a compliance summary table + actionable fixes for Missing/Partial items

STROBE Checklist (22 Items)

Title and Abstract

Topic Requirement

1a Title Indicate the study design with a commonly used term in the title or abstract

1b Abstract Provide an informative and balanced summary of what was done and found

Introduction

Topic Requirement

2 Background/rationale Explain the scientific background and rationale for the investigation

3 Objectives State specific objectives, including any prespecified hypotheses

Methods

Topic Requirement

4 Study design Present key elements of study design early in the paper

5 Setting Describe setting, locations, relevant dates (recruitment, exposure, follow-up, data collection)

6a Participants Cohort: eligibility criteria, sources/methods of selection, methods of follow-up. Case-control: eligibility, case ascertainment, control selection, rationale. Cross-sectional: eligibility, sources/methods of selection

6b Participants Cohort/Case-control: For matched studies, give matching criteria and number matched

7 Variables Clearly define all outcomes, exposures, predictors, confounders, effect modifiers; give diagnostic criteria

8 Data sources For each variable, give sources of data and methods of assessment; describe comparability across groups

9 Bias Describe any efforts to address potential sources of bias

10 Study size Explain how the study size was arrived at

11 Quantitative variables Explain how quantitative variables were handled; describe groupings and rationale

12a Statistical methods Describe all statistical methods, including confounding control

12b Statistical methods Methods for subgroups and interactions

12c Statistical methods How missing data were addressed

12d Statistical methods Cohort: how loss to follow-up was addressed. Case-control: how matching was addressed. Cross-sectional: sampling strategy methods

12e Statistical methods Describe any sensitivity analyses

Results

Topic Requirement

13a Participants Report numbers at each stage of study (eligible, examined, confirmed, included, completed, analysed)

13b Participants Give reasons for non-participation at each stage

13c Participants Consider use of a flow diagram

14a Descriptive data Characteristics of participants (demographic, clinical, social) and information on exposures/confounders

14b Descriptive data Number of participants with missing data for each variable

14c Descriptive data Cohort: Summarise follow-up time (average and total)

15 Outcome data Cohort: numbers of outcome events or summary measures over time. Case-control: numbers in each exposure category. Cross-sectional: numbers of outcome events or summary measures

16a Main results Unadjusted estimates and confounder-adjusted estimates with precision (95% CI). State which confounders and why

16b Main results Report category boundaries when continuous variables were categorised

16c Main results If relevant, translate relative risk into absolute risk for a meaningful time period

17 Other analyses Report subgroup analyses, interactions, sensitivity analyses

Discussion

Topic Requirement

18 Key results Summarise key results with reference to study objectives

19 Limitations Discuss limitations: sources of bias/imprecision, direction and magnitude of potential bias

20 Interpretation Cautious overall interpretation considering objectives, limitations, multiplicity, similar studies

21 Generalisability Discuss external validity of results

Other Information

Topic Requirement

22 Funding Source of funding and role of funders

Design-Specific Attention

Design Extra Focus

Cohort Items 6b, 12d (follow-up), 14c (follow-up time), 15 (events over time)

Case-control Items 6a-6b (case/control selection rationale, matching), 12d (matching analysis), 15 (exposure categories)

Cross-sectional Items 6a (selection), 12d (sampling strategy), 15 (summary measures)

Common STROBE Gaps

Frequently Missing Fix

Item 9 (Bias) Add a dedicated paragraph on bias sources and mitigation strategies

Item 10 (Study size) State sample size justification or explain it was convenience-based

Item 12c (Missing data) Describe complete-case, imputation, or sensitivity approach

Item 14b (Missing data counts) Add missingness counts per variable to Table 1 or supplement

Item 16a (Unadjusted + adjusted) Report both crude and adjusted estimates with 95% CIs

Item 19 (Limitations direction) Discuss direction of bias (toward/away from null), not just list weaknesses

Output Format

STROBE Compliance Report Study design: [Cohort / Case-control / Cross-sectional] Manuscript: [filename]

Summary: X/22 Reported | Y Partial | Z Missing | W N/A

MISSING ITEMS (priority fixes): [Item #] [Topic] — [What's needed]

PARTIAL ITEMS (improvements needed): [Item #] [Topic] — [What's present] → [What's missing]

FULLY REPORTED: [Item #] [Topic] ✓

Extensions

• STROBE-Equity (2024): 10 additional items for reporting health equity data. Use alongside core STROBE when the study addresses health disparities.

• RECORD (REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected Data): Extension for electronic health record / claims database studies.

Related Skills

• /manuscript — Overall manuscript writing and anti-pattern scanning

• /human-write — AI-flavored vocabulary detection