Research Guidelines Endorsed by Annals of Plastic Surgery to Improve the Quality of Published Articles

We surgeons use checklists in the operating room to lessen the possibility of errors. Our checklists are based upon international safety guidelines. To improve the transparency and quality of published research, international guidelines, and checklists have been developed by groups that included journal editors, funders, epidemiologists, methodologists, statisticians, and researchers. Adoption of these guidelines has improved the quality and transparency of papers published in different journals. We believe that using these checklists and guidelines will improve the quality and transparency of articles submitted to Annals of Plastic Surgery. We urge all authors to familiarize themselves with the material before they commence their research, as a thorough understanding of the material will enable authors to design and perform better research that is more likely to be accepted for publication. When authors submit their manuscripts, they should include a completed copy of the relevant checklist that indicates which pages of the manuscripts contain the various checklist items.