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To identify, characterize, and explore author guides on the role, format, and content of protocols for observational epidemiological studies, particularly cohort and case-control studies.

Scoping review. We searched for guides in Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, 10 general medical and epidemiological/public health journals and 10 major funders’ websites. Two review authors extracted data. We classified guides as “main” based on word count and number of protocol items, described such guides more comprehensively and analyzed number of citations as an indicator of uptake.

39 protocol guides were included, intended for cohort studies (n=3), case-control studies (n=1), or epidemiological studies in general (n=35). Content and format were highly variable. Several guides had a broader focus than protocol development, e.g., also including study conduct and reporting. The …