Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How to cite CARE
In your methods section, state which guideline resources you used to write your article, refer readers to the supplementary materials to view your completed checklist, and cite this reporting guideline. For example:
We used the CARE writing guide when drafting this article, and the CARE checklist (see supplementary materials A) to demonstrate adherence to the CARE reporting guideline. [1].
You can use your reference manager to save citation information for this webpage, or copy the BibTeX below.
Who made CARE?
Joel J. Gagnier, Gunver Kienle, Douglas G. Altman, David Moher, Harold Sox, David Riley, the CARE Group
See the CARE development article for details on its authors.
How was CARE made?
See the CARE development article for details on how this guideline was originally developed.
The UK EQUATOR Centre then worked with CARE’s authors to make CARE easier to use by clarifying language, adding definitions, examples, extra information and resources. Although worded differently, the guidance on this website is conceptually the same as the original publication and can be used interchangeably.
Does CARE prescribe structure?
No. CARE does not prescribe a rigid format or standardized content. Consider each item and prioritize elements that are most relevant to your study, findings, context, and readers.
You may prefer to report an item in a different order, section, or in a table or figure. For example, some authors may prefer to include some methods items in their Results section. Others may call their Results section Findings, or have a completely different manuscript structure.
How to prioritize items and keep writing concise
Although all items should be reported, you should prioritize items most relevant to your study, findings, context, and readership.
You should include information in the article body when possible so it’s easy for readers to find. However, if you are worried about word counts or brevity, consider placing information in tables.
If you feel confident that an item is less important to your study, you could report it in an appendix or supplement. Be aware that supplementary materials may not be peer reviewed, are not indexed by search engines, and can be difficult for readers to find. Therefore, they are best only used for details you feel are less important, and you should point readers to them from the article body. For example, “For more details, see the supplementary materials A”.
The UK EQUATOR centre runs training on how to write concisely.
What to write if you feel an item is not applicable
If you think an item is not applicable, state why. You could state this in the text or in the reporting checklist. Remember to publish your completed reporting checklist as a supplement, and to refer authors to it from your methods section.
What to do if asked to remove guideline related content
If a colleague or reviewer asks you to remove content that is related to this guideline, you can direct them to this guideline and the explanation for why that item is important. If they insist, consider moving the item to a supplement, table or figure.
Where can I get general writing training?
The EQUATOR Network provides in-person training for writing research articles.
AuthorAID have resources, an online course, and mentoring to help authors.
Reuse
Citation
@article{gagnierCAREGuidelinesConsensusbased2013a,
author = {Gagnier, Joel J. and Kienle, Gunver and Altman, Douglas G.
and Moher, David and Sox, Harold and Riley, David and Group, the
CARE},
publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group},
title = {The {CARE} Guidelines: Consensus-Based Clinical Case
Reporting Guideline Development},
journal = {Case Reports},
volume = {2013},
pages = {bcr2013201554},
date = {2013-10-23},
urldate = {2025-02-18},
url = {https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2013/bcr-2013-201554},
doi = {10.1136/bcr-2013-201554},
langid = {en},
abstract = {A case report is a narrative that describes, for medical,
scientific or educational purposes, a medical problem experienced by
one or more patients. Case reports written without guidance from
reporting standards are insufficiently rigorous to guide clinical
practice or to inform clinical study design. Develop, disseminate
and implement systematic reporting guidelines for case reports. We
used a three-phase consensus process consisting of (1) premeeting
literature review and interviews to generate items for the reporting
guidelines, (2) a face-to-face consensus meeting to draft the
reporting guidelines and (3) postmeeting feedback, review and pilot
testing, followed by finalisation of the case report guidelines.
This consensus process involved 27 participants and resulted in a
13-item checklist—a reporting guideline for case reports. The
primary items of the checklist are title, key words, abstract,
introduction, patient information, clinical findings, timeline,
diagnostic assessment, therapeutic interventions, follow-up and
outcomes, discussion, patient perspective and informed consent. We
believe the implementation of the CARE (CAse REport) guidelines by
medical journals will improve the completeness and transparency of
published case reports and that the systematic aggregation of
information from case reports will inform clinical study design,
provide early signals of effectiveness and harms, and improve
healthcare delivery.}
}
