Rigor, Transparency, and Reporting Social Science Research: Why Guidelines Don't Have to Kill Your Story

Dissemination of research is the most challenging aspect of building the evidence base. Despite peer-review, evidence suggests that a substantial proportion of papers leave out details that are necessary to judge bias, consider replication, or initiate meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Reporting guidelines were created to ensure minimally adequate reporting of research and have become increasingly popular since the 1990s. There are over 200 guidelines for authors to assist in reporting a range of study methodologies. Although guidelines are freely available, they are underutilized and there is criticism regarding assumptions about methodologies targeted by guidelines. As journal editors lean into endorsements, social work authors may benefit from considering guidelines appropriate for their work. This paper explores pros and cons of guideline use by authors and journals and presents some suggestions for the field of social work, including assessment of whether profession-specific reporting guidelines are needed, and cautions regarding limitations.