Knowledge and usage of the Reporting Guidelines: a survey among Brazilian Health Research Group Leaders

Purpose: To assess the knowledge and use of reporting guidelines among research group leaders in the health sciences in Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with leaders of research groups registered on the CNPq platform in health sciences disciplines. Participants were invited to complete an electronic survey comprising 70 questions across five sections, addressing scientific integrity practices within graduate programs and research groups. The estimated response time was 15 minutes. The questionnaire was pilot-tested by two reviewers. This report adheres to the STROBE and CHERRIES checklists from the EQUATOR Network. Results: The survey was sent to 5,576 researchers, yielding 430 responses after three contact attempts (response rate: 7.7%). Most respondents were female (55.5%) and had over 11 years of leadership experience (34.6%). Approximately 56.4% reported being unaware of the EQUATOR Network, although 64.3% stated they followed an appropriate reporting guideline in their most recent study. Additionally, 45.8% emphasized the importance of adherence to reporting guidelines by other research groups; 53.2% highlighted their relevance to their own groups; and 54.6% considered such adherence to be extremely important on a personal level. Conclusions: Although respondents reported adherence to scientific integrity practices, potential selection and cognitive biases must be acknowledged. These findings underscore the need for strategies to enhance the implementation of reporting guidelines and promote completeness and transparency in research reporting. Initiatives led by information science professionals may support this goal. Further investigation is warranted to explore these complexities and foster integrity in academic research.