[The reporting of observational studies: useful and appreciable recommendations for improvement].

Much biomedical research is observational. Research should be reported in a way that enables the reader to comprehend the original objectives of the researchers, their subsequent actions and findings, and conclusions. A group of researchers, collaborating in the initiative 'Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology' (STROBE), has recently drawn up recommendations regarding the preferable content of an accurate and complete report on an observational study. These 22 recommendations are summarised here with a commentary. These recommendations concern the title, the abstract, the introduction, the description of the methods and the results, the discussion and a list of the financiers of the study.