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Academy · Concepts & Definitions · Writing to a reporting guideline (workshop)
Writing to a Reporting Guideline: A Half-Day Workshop Based on a Manuscript in Progress
A recording of this workshop will be added once a cohort has completed it. This written session plan is designed to be used alongside a manuscript that the group is currently writing.
This half-day session plan applies the relevant reporting guideline — CONSORT 2025, PRISMA 2020, STROBE or another, selected according to the group’s study design — to a manuscript the group is actively drafting, item by item, rather than providing an abstract overview of the guideline’s requirements.
Learning objectives
- How the session is structured around a real manuscript in progress.
- The preparation the group must complete beforehand for the session to be useful.
- The checkpoints the session plan uses to maintain the group’s pace.
Common misconceptions
- “Working through a reporting guideline is most useful as a general overview before writing starts.” This session plan is deliberately designed around a drafted or substantially outlined manuscript, since checking real, specific content against each checklist item reveals gaps that an abstract overview does not.
- “A single pass through the checklist is sufficient.” The session plan allocates a second pass specifically to items the group initially marked as ‘partially addressed’, since a first pass commonly identifies more near-misses than complete gaps.
Preparation before the session
Before the session, the group should identify the reporting guideline applicable to the manuscript’s study design (the reporting-guideline selector can assist with this step); bring a substantially drafted or detailed-outline version of the manuscript, not a blank page; and have available, printed or on screen, the current full checklist for the guideline, confirmed against its authoritative source, such as the EQUATOR Network, rather than a possibly outdated saved copy.
Structure of the session
A suggested half-day structure comprises a short (15-20 minute) introduction to the guideline’s purpose and structure; a first pass (60-90 minutes) through the checklist item by item against the manuscript, marking each item as addressed, partially addressed, or missing; a break; a second, focused pass (45-60 minutes) on items marked partially addressed or missing, drafting or revising the relevant content live; and a closing session (15-20 minutes) assigning any remaining gaps as follow-up tasks with named owners.
Checkpoints for maintaining pace
To prevent the first pass from stalling on any single item, the session applies a timeboxing rule: if an item cannot be classified as addressed, partially addressed or missing within approximately two minutes of discussion, it is marked “needs follow-up” and the group moves on, returning to flagged items only if time remains after the full checklist has been covered once.
Session recording
A recording of a live run of this session, and the accompanying slide deck, will be added above once a cohort has run.
Key points
Key points
This workshop is most effective when applied to a real, substantially drafted manuscript rather than delivered as an abstract overview: a first full pass records the status of each checklist item, a focused second pass addresses partially addressed or missing items, and a strict timebox keeps the group moving through the full checklist.
Practical application
Practical application
- Bring a substantially drafted manuscript, rather than a blank page, to the session. An abstract discussion of the guideline, without a concrete manuscript against which to check it, misses the gaps that matter most.
- Use a strict per-item timebox on the first pass. This prevents the session from stalling on one difficult item before the full checklist has been covered once.
- Assign named owners to any remaining gaps at the end of the session. This ensures that the follow-up list does not remain unowned.
Frequently asked questions
It is more effective when run for a single guideline with a group using that guideline, since the item-by-item work is guideline-specific; a mixed group would need to divide into guideline-specific sub-sessions.
A smaller group (approximately 2-6 people per manuscript) tends to keep the item-by-item discussion focused; larger groups may need to divide by manuscript.
A facilitator familiar with the specific guideline helps to maintain consistent timeboxing and item interpretation, particularly for a group using this format for the first time.
References
- Hopewell S, Chan A-W, Collins GS, et al. CONSORT 2025 statement. PLOS Medicine. 2025;22(4):e1004587. read 10 October 2026. View on PubMed Central
- Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement. BMJ. 2021;372:n71. read 10 October 2026. View on BMJ
Every source above is a peer-reviewed article, a publisher’s record of one, or a standard issued by the body that owns it. Each carries the date it was last read. Where a standard moves, this article is revised rather than left up with a note.
How to cite this article
Pick your referencing style and copy it. Your university or target journal may vary the punctuation — check its guide if it has one.
Pubrica Academy. (2026, October 10). Writing to a Reporting Guideline: A Half-Day Workshop Based on a Manuscript in Progress. Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/academy/workshop-guides/writing-to-a-reporting-guideline-workshop/
Pubrica Academy. “Writing to a Reporting Guideline: A Half-Day Workshop Based on a Manuscript in Progress.” Pubrica, 10 Oct. 2026, pubrica.com/academy/workshop-guides/writing-to-a-reporting-guideline-workshop/.
Pubrica Academy (2026) Writing to a Reporting Guideline: A Half-Day Workshop Based on a Manuscript in Progress. Pubrica. Available at: https://pubrica.com/academy/workshop-guides/writing-to-a-reporting-guideline-workshop/ (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
Pubrica Academy. “Writing to a Reporting Guideline: A Half-Day Workshop Based on a Manuscript in Progress.” Pubrica. October 10, 2026. https://pubrica.com/academy/workshop-guides/writing-to-a-reporting-guideline-workshop/
Pubrica Academy, ‘Writing to a Reporting Guideline: A Half-Day Workshop Based on a Manuscript in Progress’ (Pubrica, 10 October 2026) <https://pubrica.com/academy/workshop-guides/writing-to-a-reporting-guideline-workshop/> accessed 15 October 2026.
Pubrica Academy. Writing to a Reporting Guideline: A Half-Day Workshop Based on a Manuscript in Progress. [Internet]. Pubrica; 2026 Oct 10 [cited 2026 Oct 15]. Available from: https://pubrica.com/academy/workshop-guides/writing-to-a-reporting-guideline-workshop/
Pubrica Academy, “Writing to a Reporting Guideline: A Half-Day Workshop Based on a Manuscript in Progress,” Pubrica, Oct. 10, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://pubrica.com/academy/workshop-guides/writing-to-a-reporting-guideline-workshop/
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title = {Writing to a Reporting Guideline: A Half-Day Workshop Based on a Manuscript in Progress},
howpublished = {Pubrica},
year = {2026},
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}This article is written to be learned from. Cite it if you are referring to what it says; if you are using the evidence behind it, cite the sources listed above instead.
Session timing plan
Half a day (approximately 3-3.5 hours of working time).
0:00-0:20 — Framing: guideline purpose and structure 0:20-1:50 — First pass: full checklist against the manuscript, item by item, 2-min timebox each 1:50-2:00 — Break 2:00-3:00 — Second pass: focused work on partial/missing items 3:00-3:20 — Close: remaining gaps assigned to named owners
Pubrica AcademyWritten and maintained by Pubrica’s subject matter experts. Articles are revised when the underlying standards change, and each article states the date on which it was last reviewed.
How Pubrica can help
Pubrica facilitates this form of working session, checking a group’s manuscript in progress against the applicable reporting guideline item by item.