Research Brief
MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST
General
The title accurately reflects the content of the manuscript.
The article is of interest to PCD readers.
The article fits the mission of the journal to address the interface between applied prevention research and public health practice in chronic disease prevention.
The manuscript is clearly and concisely written and is free of jargon.
Each section of the manuscript — Objective, Methods, Results, Discussion — includes the appropriate elements. The sections are clearly delineated.
The citations are up to date and relevant.
All statements requiring citations have citations.
The Acknowledgments identify funding for the study.
The article has no more than 1,200 words and 12 references.
The journal reserves the right to request the data set used for the analysis, along with the accompanying software program/syntax.
Abstract
The abstract accurately reflects the content of the manuscript.
The abstract is unstructured.
It has no more than 4 sentences, each one corresponding to the subheadings in the body of the paper: Objective, Methods, Results, Discussion.
The text has no more than 100 words.
Objective
The section has no more than 200 words.
The precise objective of the study is stated.
The context of the study is explained.
The importance of the study question is explained.
A general reader could understand the study question and its importance.
Definitions of terms specific to the context of the manuscript are provided.
Methods
The section has no more than 300 words.
The type of study design used is stated.
An appropriate study design was used to achieve the study objectives.
The dates of the study are provided.
For a study that describes an intervention, the essential features of the intervention are noted.
The setting from which the participants are drawn (eg, general community, school, hospital, worksite) is described briefly, including the key sociodemographic features.
For study participants, inclusion and exclusion criteria are provided.
Participants are appropriate to the research question.
If the manuscript describes research involving human subjects, it includes a statement that the research was approved by an appropriate institutional review board.
The participation rate is provided in terms of a numerator and denominator.
The participation rate is satisfactory.
If controls were used, they are adequately described.
The prestudy calculation of required sample size is reported.
The sample size is large enough to produce meaningful results.
A consistent cohort of study participants, for whom all data items are available, is used.
The primary study outcome measures are described as planned before the data collection began.
For survey studies, a statement is included on whether the survey instrument has been shown to have validity and reliability.
Research brief information on statistical methods is provided.
The statistical methods used were appropriately selected.
The Methods section includes only a description of the methods; it does not include results.
Results
The section has no more than 300 words.
Only the most relevant results are reported; the main outcomes of the study are provided.
The results are specific and relevant to the research hypothesis.
All results reported have a corresponding section in the Methods section. (In other words, for the results reported, the methods for obtaining them were noted in the Methods section.)
Key characteristics of the study participants are presented (eg, number, age distribution, sex, racial/ethnic characteristics).
For surveys, the response rate is provided.
Measures of data distribution or precision (eg, SDs, SEs, 95% CIs) are given.
Information on how study participants may compare to people not included in the study is provided.
If validation measures are conducted as part of the study, they are described.
The conclusions drawn from the statistical analysis are justified.
Implications or weaknesses of the study and the rationale for the statistical procedures used are not discussed in this section.
Discussion
The section has no more than 400 words.
The research question or hypothesis is addressed.
Strengths and weaknesses of the study are noted.
Equal emphasis is given to positive and negative findings of equal scientific merit.
A lengthy reiteration of the Results section is avoided.
Unexpected findings are mentioned, with suggested explanations.
Limitations of the study are noted.
The generalizability of the results is noted.
Speculation and overgeneralization are avoided.
If appropriate, future potential studies are suggested.
The section ends with a clear, concise conclusion that is directly supported by the study findings.
Tables and Figures
There are no more than 3 figures or 3 tables or a combination of no more than 3.
The tables and figures are well constructed, easy to comprehend, and visually appealing.
Information in the tables or figures is not duplicated in the text.
Information in the tables or figures is consistent with information in the text.
Numbers add up correctly.
The tables and figures are able to stand independently; they do not require explanation from the text.
Tables and figures are clearly labeled and footnotes added appropriately.
The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors’ affiliated institutions.
