Title
Does the title express clearly what the manuscript is about?
Does it contain the necessary keywords to make it “discoverable” by a reader in your field?
Does it contain any unnecessary description or jargon?
Would it be clear to someone with language barriers?
Abstract
Is the abstract a short and clear summary of the aims, key methods, main findings, and conclusions?
Does it contain unnecessary information, jargon, or undefined acronyms?
Does it exaggerate or overstate the conclusions or their potential application/impact?
Introduction
Does the introduction clearly summarize the current state of the topic?
Does it address the limitations of current knowledge in this field?
Does it explain the manuscript’s contribution to the existing literature and the wider impact?
Does it define the aim of the study and is this consistent with the rest of the manuscript?
Is the research question clear and appropriate?
Methods
Are the research design and methods appropriate for the research question?
Is there enough detail provided to allow a reader to repeat the methods or experiments?
Is it clear how the research data were collected and/or how participants were selected and recruited?
Is there any potential bias in the data collection or in the recruitment of participants?
Are the correct controls/validation included?
Have potential confounding factors been considered?
Has any randomization been done correctly?
Is the time frame of the study sufficient to see outcomes?
Is there sufficient power and appropriate statistical analysis?
Do you have any concerns about the ethics of the work?
Results
Are the results presented clearly and accurately?
Do the results presented match the methods?
Have all the relevant supporting data been included?
Is there any risk of patients or participants being identified?
Are the data described in the text consistent with the data in the figures, tables or other display items?
Discussion and conclusion
Do the authors logically explain their findings?
Do the authors compare their findings with current findings in the research field?
Are the implications of the findings for future research and potential applications discussed?
Are the conclusions supported by the data and/or arguments as presented?
Are any limitations of the study discussed?
Are any contradictory data discussed?
Tables and figures
Are data presented in a clear and appropriate manner?
Is the presentation of tables and figures consistent with their description and interpretation in the text?
Do the figure legends and table headings clearly explain what is shown?
Do the figures and tables include measures of uncertainty, such as standard error or confidence intervals, where required? Do they state the sample size?
Do you have any concerns about inappropriate manipulation of data or images?
References
Are there any key references missing?
Do the authors cite the initial discoveries where suitable?
Are there places where the authors cite a review but should cite the original paper?
Are the cited studies an up-to-date representation of current knowledge?
A method article describes an advancement or development of current methodological approaches and research procedures. This includes new study methods, substantive modifications to existing methods, or innovative applications of existing methods to new models or scientific questions. For more information, see the page here.
Is the new method clearly described?
Is the description of the method technically sound?
Are sufficient details provided to allow replication of the method development and its use by others?
Does the manuscript link out to a dataset, and are its experimental controls available?
Is there a rationale for why the new method is needed?
Is the new method compared to existing approaches?
Are the conclusions about the method and its performance adequately supported by the findings presented in the article?
Data notes are a short peer-reviewed article type that concisely describe research data stored in a repository. Data notes do not include any analysis or conclusions. For more information, see this page.
Is the rationale for creating the dataset(s) clearly described?
Are the methods appropriate and is the work technically sound?
Are sufficient details of methods and materials provided to allow replication by others?
[Please consider, for example, whether material sources are documented, whether there are enough details of how samples were included/excluded, of what has been measured and how]
Are any limitations of the dataset(s) clearly described?
Is information on where and how to access the dataset included as part of a data availability statement?
Are the datasets clearly presented in a useable and accessible format?
[Please consider whether dataset files are clearly described and labelled]